Second Judicial Circuit reports caseload rise, juvenile center planning

Presiding Judge Robin Halman told the Minnehaha County Commission on May 20 that the Second Judicial Circuit, which covers Minnehaha and Lincoln counties, has added two judges and is seeing an increase in caseloads that is driving space and staffing changes.

Halman said, "the legislature last year did approve, the funding for 2 additional circuit court judges in Minnehaha and Lincoln Counties," and that the governor appointed Jeffrey Clapper and Mandy Mowery last fall. "So we have 19 judges total now in the circuit again," she said.

The presentation matters because the court’s caseload and staffing affect how quickly cases move through court and the county’s need for courtroom and support space. The circuit’s growth has prompted courthouse reconfiguration and planning for a juvenile justice campus.

Halman gave a numerical overview of filings for the circuit and county. "For the fiscal year 24, we had 58,000 cases filed in the Second Circuit," she said, and she added that "Minnehaha County is about a third of the cases within the state of South Dakota." She said the circuit projects case filings near 55,000 for the coming fiscal year in Minnehaha County and noted a dip in filings in fiscal year 2023 that has since trended upward.

To accommodate growth, the court is converting courthouse space: Halman said the law library on the fourth floor will become an additional courtroom, two court reporter offices will be repurposed into a judicial chamber, and two magistrate court offices will be adjusted on the third floor. She also said some state staff currently housed in the building will relocate to the one-stop shop in the next few months, freeing space in the courthouse.

On judicial staffing, Halman said Judge Hoffman will retire earlier than previously announced and that the Judicial Qualifications Commission is not scheduled to interview for the replacement until August; she said the vacancy could leave the circuit "without a circuit court judge probably for about 3 or 4 months." She said the commission’s interviews are scheduled later in the summer and the circuit does not expect to be fully staffed until around September.

Commissioners asked about juvenile court needs. Halman said planning for the county’s juvenile justice center includes shell space for an additional courtroom but that immediate need is for more court services officers and a secretary when the juvenile justice center opens. "We do definitely see an increase in the need for court services officers before we would foresee the need for that additional courtroom," she said, noting that currently only one judge is assigned to the juvenile docket.

Halman also answered questions about crime trends and the 2023 dip in filings: when asked whether the 2023 decline was COVID-related, she said she could not point to a specific cause and suggested it could reflect enforcement priorities. When asked whether drug types driving violent crime have shifted, she said methamphetamine remains the most common drug seen in cases and that fentanyl has increased but has not overtaken meth in volume.

The presentation closed with Halman summarizing modest budget requests for 2026 — largely adjustments for court-appointed attorney fees and other operational items — and with a status update on the court’s records project to scan and dispose of long-retained paper records. She said the juvenile justice center construction will house a juvenile courtroom and space for a juvenile judge when complete.

No formal commission action was taken; the item was a briefing with commissioners providing questions and direction to the judge and staff for future planning.