Meade County residents oppose judicial circuit merger proposal at public hearing
Merger proposal would place numerous Black Hills counties under a single administrative umbrella
RAPID CITY, S.D. (KOTA) - A state proposal to administratively merge two of South Dakota’s largest judicial circuits faced fierce and unanimous opposition Wednesday afternoon during a packed public forum at the Meade County Courthouse.
The South Dakota Unified Judicial System (UJS) presented a plan to combine the administrative structures of the Fourth Judicial Circuit and the Seventh Judicial Circuit. Together, the move would place Lawrence, Meade, Pennington, Custer, Fall River, and several other counties under a single administrative umbrella.
State court administrators argue that the merger is designed to streamline operations and increase efficiency within the Black Hills region. However, local residents, attorneys, and county officials at the forum did not share that vision. The public comment session quickly exceeded its allotted hour.
Opponents voiced deep concerns that merging the rural Fourth Circuit with the much more populated Seventh Circuit—which includes Rapid City—would effectively drown out rural voters. Local leaders fear the change will dilute their representation in electing judges and strip rural communities of vital judicial resources.
The controversial proposal comes at a tense time for South Dakota’s legal system. The state’s criminal justice system recently ranked in the bottom ten nationally for 2026 by U.S. News and World Report.
The State Court Administrator’s Office is accepting written public comments on the proposal until Oct. 1, 2026. Comments can be submitted via email to comment@ujs.state.sd.us or by mail to 500 E. Capitol Ave. in Pierre, SD 57501
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