NEWS FROM U.S. DISTRICT COURT
January 9, 2026

Former Federal Law Clerks. The Court will be hosting a law clerk reunion on September 25, 2026, in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. This is being held in conjunction with a symposium about significant cases filed in federal court in the District of South Dakota hosted by the USD Law Review. If you were a former law clerk in the District of South Dakota for a district or magistrate judge, or for the Eighth Circuit, please email your contact information to matt_thelen@sdd.uscourts.gov. If you have contact information for other former law clerks, please pass that information on as well.

Jury Trials. The Western Division continues to lead the district in jury trials. In 2025, there were 40 jury trials, half of which were in the Western Division. There were also 11 jury trials in the Southern Division, 5 in the Central Division, and 4 in the Northern Division.

Searching CM/ECF Events. The Clerk’s Office receives several phone calls inquiring as to which event to use when docketing. Using the Search function in CM/ECF is a helpful tool as it allows you to enter a keyword and links directly to the appropriate menu and event. The Search function is located in the menu bar of CM/ECF. Instructions are available in our CM/ECF User Manual and Administrative Procedures under Search Menu.

Closure Reminder. The Court will be closed on Monday, January 19th in observance of Martin Luther King, Jr. Day.