Robert Spears

Robert Spears, a South Dakota circuit judge, was ordered removed from a Grant County family dispute case by a divided South Dakota Supreme Court in December 2024. The underlying case involved Paul O'Farrell suing family members and business entities, alleging a relative had manipulated their father into a $3.2 million land sale and other transactions that caused the family financial harm.

A request to disqualify Spears from the case was filed after it emerged that his own campaign treasurer had connections to parties on two sides of the dispute. Spears declined to step aside, saying he would offer a fair trial regardless. Three of the state's Supreme Court justices found Spears had erred: under the applicable procedure, a presiding judge asked to step aside may only determine whether the disqualification request was timely filed and whether the right to file it had been waived — not weigh factors like judicial economy, which the majority found Spears improperly considered in denying the request.