UJS Proposes Merger of Fourth and Seventh Judicial Circuits

July 9, 2026

Press Release, Supreme Court, Fourth Judicial Circuit, Seventh Judicial Circuit

PRESS RELEASE
For Immediate Release: July 9, 2026
Contact: Alisa Bousa, Public Information Officer, via email or 605.773.2031

UJS Proposes Merger of Fourth and Seventh Judicial Circuits

PIERRE, S.D.—The South Dakota Unified Judicial System (UJS) State Court Administrator’s Office has proposed to the South Dakota Supreme Court consideration of a merger of the administrative structures of the Fourth Judicial Circuit and Seventh Judicial Circuit.

The Fourth Judicial Circuit consists of Butte, Corson, Dewey, Harding, Lawrence, Meade, Perkins and Ziebach counties. The Seventh Judicial Circuit consists of Custer, Fall River, Oglala Lakota and Pennington counties. The proposed merger is intended to increase operational efficiencies for UJS.

A series of public forums will be held on Wednesday, Aug. 26, 2026, to present information related to the proposal and gather comments and feedback in advance of any formal rule proposal to the South Dakota Supreme Court. The public forum locations are:

Rapid City: Pennington County Courthouse (Courtroom C2), 315 St. Joseph St., 8:30-9:30 a.m. MDT
Sturgis: Meade County Courthouse (Courtroom 3), 1425 Sherman St., 11 a.m.-noon MDT
Lemmon: Lonesome Dove Conference Center, 312 Main Ave., 3:30-4:30 p.m. MDT

The forums are open to the public. Following a short presentation by the State Court Administrator’s Office, there will be an opportunity for public comments and questions.

Written input or comments may be submitted to the State Court Administrator’s Office by email to comment@ujs.state.sd.us or by mail to State Court Administrator’s Office, Attention: Judicial Circuit Merger Proposal, 500 E. Capitol Ave., Pierre, SD 57501. The deadline to submit written input or comments is Oct. 1, 2026.

South Dakota courts are organized into a unified judicial system and currently consist of seven judicial circuits. The State Court Administrator’s Office provides centralized administrative assistance and support services to South Dakota's courts to ensure efficient and responsive operation. Learn more about UJS.

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About South Dakota Courts: The Unified Judicial System (UJS) consists of the Supreme Court, Circuit Courts and State Court Administrator’s Office. The Supreme Court is the state’s highest court and final decision maker on South Dakota law. The Circuit Courts are the state’s trial courts where criminal proceedings and civil litigation are handled. The State Court Administrator’s Office provides centralized administrative assistance and support services for the South Dakota judiciary. Learn more about UJS.