RAPID CITY - As a girl sweeping floors in her family's feed store, Veronica Duffy wasn't thinking about becoming an attorney.

But after college and a stint in the Peace Corps, she found herself working in the new Pennington County Victim's Assistance Office. Writing reports for then-7th Circuit Judge Marshall Young sparked Duffy's interest in attending law school.

Now, more than 15 years later, Duffy has taken over Young's seat as U.S. Magistrate Judge after his retirement.

"Judge Young left enormous shoes to fill," said Duffy, who was sworn in June 11 as the sole magistrate judge for South Dakota's western division. "I expect that I'll be laboring in his shoes for many years to come."

Duffy grew up here, working at Aby's Feed & Seed - now the site of Bully Blends - as a kid. "That was my very first job I ever had was sweeping floors and washing windows," she said. After college, "I basically held every job under the sun."

She taught English in Sri Lanka, worked for three banks and was a chiropractor's assistant before landing in the Victim's Assistance Office. "That just kind of pointed me in the direction of law school," she said.

Duffy graduated from Creighton University Law School in 1992, served a two-year term as law clerk to U.S. District Judge Richard Battey, and worked for Bangs, McCullen, Butler, Foye & Simmons before starting Duffy & Duffy with her husband, Pat.

Most of Duffy's cases, civil and criminal, have been tried in federal court. In part, it was her admiration for U.S. District Judge Karen Schreier that led her to apply for the magistrate position.

"I think every law school student thinks about being a

judge at one point or another," Duffy said. "(Judge Schreier) is just such an awesome judge. She works so hard, and she is so smart and so fair."

Whereas federal district judges are appointed for life, magistrate judges are appointed for a term of four years for part-time judges and eight years for full-time judges, she said.

Applicants for Young's job were screened by a merit selection committee consisting of attorneys and laypeople, which then forwarded five names to South Dakota's U.S. District Court Judges Schreier, Charles Kornmann and Lawrence Piersol. They chose Duffy.

As magistrate judge, she will handle initial appearances, detention hearings, criminal misdemeanor cases, some civil cases, case mediation and other duties.

After some formal judge's training, some help from Judge Young, and a few days shadowing U.S. Magistrate Judge John Simko in Sioux Falls, Duffy heard her first case - a bond revocation hearing - on June 11.

Since her appointment, Veronica and Pat Duffy have dissolved their law partnership. She won't hear his cases in federal court.

As a part-time judge, Duffy could continue practicing law but doesn't expect to do so.

"I just want to make sure I can do justice to this job," she said, noting that she's received lots of help and support throughout her career.

"I look forward to having the opportunity to give some of that back."

Contact Heidi Bell Gease at 394-8419 or heidi.bell@rapidcityjournal.com