SD court system eyes third circuit consolidation in 50 years, raising concerns about ‘mega circuit’

By: Makenzie Huber

Outlets: South Dakota Searchlight

Published: July 11, 2026

Words: 1,209

Last Updated: 1 week, 4 days ago

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South Dakota’s court system intends to merge the Fourth and Seventh judicial circuits, creating one that will cover nearly a third of the state’s land area.

The Fourth Judicial Circuit encompasses the northwestern quarter of the state, including Butte, Corson, Dewey, Harding, Lawrence, Meade, Perkins and Ziebach counties. The Seventh Judicial Circuit includes the southwestern corner: Custer, Fall River, Oglala Lakota and Pennington counties.

The merged circuit would have the largest population and geographic …

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