He was nominated by President
Jimmy Carter to be the 32nd
United States Attorney for the
District of South Dakota. He was confirmed by the
United States Senate. He was the first Sioux Indian to be named a U.S. Attorney. He handled several landmark cases, including the Black Hills of South Dakota case for the Rosebud Sioux in regards to the 1868 treaty. Pechota stated "The consensus is, the tribes want this land back." He stepped down from the position in 1981 and accepted a job as counsel for the Native American Rights Fund in
Boulder, Colorado. He returned to South Dakota the following year. ==Personal life==