Trial Begins for Former US Senate Candidate in South Dakota

PIERRE, S.D. (AP) — A trial has opened for former South Dakota U.S. Senate candidate Clayton Walker, who is acting as his own attorney as he faces accusations of violating election law.

Walker faces felony charges for submitting nominating petitions that authorities say included names of celebrities and dead or fictitious people. The jury for the trial was chosen Monday in Pierre, and witnesses for the prosecution testified after opening arguments.

The Capital Journal reports Walker did not comment when he left the courtroom Monday.

Three attorneys had been appointed to Walker in eight months, but they said he wouldn't cooperate. A judge ruled in May that Walker had essentially forfeited his right to a court-appointed attorney.

Walker ran as an independent, but failed to make the November ballot. Former Republican candidate Annette Bosworth faced similar charges and was convicted in May.

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