South Dakota Supreme Court Chief Justice Steven Jensen has appointed the Honorable Heidi Linngren to be the next presiding judge for the Seventh Judicial Circuit. Linngren replaces Judge Robert Gusinsky, who Gov. Larry Rhoden has appointed to fill a vacancy on the South Dakota Supreme Court. Linngre n will begin her duties as presiding judge on Dec. 9, 2025. South Dakota’s Unified Judicial System is divided into seven judicial circuits. The Seventh Judicial Circuit is comprised of Custer, Fall River, Oglala Lakota and Pennington counties. The presiding judge of each judicial circuit has administrative supervision and authority over the operations of the courts within the circuit. In addition to their administrative responsibilities, presiding judges also maintain full caseloads. Linngren has served as a circuit court judge for the Seventh Judicial Circuit since 2015, following her election to the bench. Prior to that, she served as a magistrate judge for the Seventh Judicial Circuit from 2011 to 2015. To learn more about the South Dakota Unified Judicial System, visit https://ujs.sd.gov. ...read more read less