South Dakota Federal Court Structure at a Glance
Court Locations in South Dakota — 28 U.S.C. § 122
The district structure of South Dakota is set by statute, quoted below from 28 U.S.C. § 122:
“The Northern Division comprises the counties of Brown, Campbell, Clark, Codington, Corson, Day, Deuel, Edmonds, Grant, Hamlin, McPherson, Marshall, Roberts, Spink, and Walworth.”
Court locations under the statute:
Court for the Northern Division shall be held at Aberdeen.
Court for the Southern Division shall be held at Sioux Falls.
Court for the Central Division shall be held at Pierre.
Court for the Western Division shall be held at Deadwood and Rapid City.
Federal White-Collar Cases in South Dakota
Federal fraud offenses committed in South Dakota are prosecuted in the district where the offense occurred. Jurisdiction is statutory: “The district courts of the United States shall have original jurisdiction, exclusive of the courts of the States, of all offenses against the laws of the United States.” (18 U.S.C. § 3231).
Circuit assignment is statutory as well. 28 U.S.C. § 41 provides:
“Eighth Arkansas, Iowa, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota.”
The Eighth Circuit hears appeals from the district courts in South Dakota. The district courts listed above maintain public websites with local rules, judge information, and case-location details; the federal court finder at uscourts.gov also covers South Dakota.
The principal federal fraud statutes — mail fraud (18 U.S.C. § 1341), wire fraud (§ 1343), and bank fraud (§ 1344) — apply in every federal district. Bank fraud carries a statutory maximum of 30 years: “shall be fined not more than $1,000,000 or imprisoned not more than 30 years, or both.” (18 U.S.C. § 1344).
This page is part of the White-Collar Case Law Research Desk reference library. Additional research notes are published as new court decisions are issued.
Primary sources
- 28 U.S.C. § 122 — South Dakota (law.cornell.edu). Verbatim: “The Northern Division comprises the counties of Brown, Campbell, Clark, Codington, Corson, Day, Deuel, Edmonds, Grant, Hamlin, McPherson, Marshall, Roberts, Spink, and Walworth.”
- 28 U.S.C. § 41 — Number and composition of circuits (law.cornell.edu). Verbatim: “Eighth Arkansas, Iowa, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota.”
- 18 U.S.C. § 3231 — District courts (law.cornell.edu). Verbatim: “The district courts of the United States shall have original jurisdiction, exclusive of the courts of the States, of all offenses against the laws of the United States.”
- 18 U.S.C. § 1344 — Bank fraud (law.cornell.edu). Verbatim: “shall be fined not more than $1,000,000 or imprisoned not more than 30 years, or both.”
White-Collar Federal Defense Reference by State
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