Hughes County was formed in 1873, organized in 1880, and named after Alexander Hughes, a legislator. It has an estimated population of 17,765, making it the 12th most populous county in South Dakota. It has a land area of 742 square miles and 59 square miles of water. Pierre is its county seat and also the state capital.

Courts in Hughes County

Hughes County has a circuit court and a magistrate court. The highest court in the county is the Sixth Judicial Circuit Court, which serves 13 other counties. It has jurisdiction over all civil and criminal cases but typically hears cases beyond the jurisdiction of the magistrate court. It hears all felonies, some municipal ordinance offenses, some misdemeanors, and civil cases with claims in excess of $12,000. It also handles juvenile matters, domestic relations cases, and probate matters.

The Hughes County Magistrate Court hears most municipal ordinance violations, most misdemeanors, and preliminary felony hearings. It also handles civil cases with claims under $12,000, acceptance of pleas, committals, and forfeiture of bonds.

Where to Find Public Court Records in Hughes County

Public court records in Hughes County are records that can be viewed and copied by members of the public, including court filings, warrants, writs, court proceedings, and judgments from the county courts. The Hughes County Clerk of Courts is responsible for collating, indexing, preserving, storing, and updating public court records in the county in compliance with state and county regulations. Anyone can visit the Clerk’s office to inspect or request nonconfidential court records from the county’s courts.

Alternatively, they can search for Hughes County public court records using the South Dakota Unified Judicial System Public Access Record Search portal. In addition, they can fill out the Record Inquiry and Search Request Form to request court records. It costs $20 to use the online platforms for court record searches. 

Types of Public Court Records in Hughes County

Access to public court records in Hughes County promotes confidence in the county’s judicial system. Unless sealed by court orders, Hughes County makes the following types of court records available to the public:

• Criminal Court Records: includes court proceedings and court orders for felony and misdemeanor cases
• Family Court Records: includes divorce decrees, maintenance orders, and custody judgments
• Civil Court Records: includes  personal injury cases, professional malpractices, product liabilities, libel, breaches of contracts, trade secrets, and employment disputes
• Probate Court Records: includes documentation  of wills, estates, trusts, and guardianships

Confidential Court Records in Hughes County

Certain court records in Hughes County are sealed by law or court order to preserve privacy and protect sensitive information. Unlike public court documents, these records are confidential and can only be seen by authorized persons or by specific court orders. While most court documents are available to the public in South Dakota, parts or all of the following are usually excluded from public access:

• Adoption records
• Most juvenile records
• Medical and mental health records
• Identifying information about jurors
• Grand jury proceedings and records
• Financial information
• Sexual assault victim records
• Expunged or sealed records
• Misdemeanor or felony convictions after certain years
• Identifying information about confidential informants in criminal prosecutions
• Personally identifiable information such as Social Security number and driver’s license number
• Records of victims of domestic and sexual violence.

Juvenile Delinquency in Hughes, SD

Unfortunately, in many areas of the Hughes County, juvenile delinquency issues are on the rise. There are many reasons for the rise in youth offenders. The juvenile sentence in South Dakota often depends on the severity of the crime, the number of crimes, and other family matters.

In 2017, a total of 146 juvenile cases were reported for every 100,000 people age 10 to adulthood in the jurisdiction of Hughes County. Of that total, 60% of those proceedings were delinquencies which equaled 88 court cases. Another 0% were dependency cases that accounted for 0 of the juvenile cases.

A lot of counties, including, Hughes County, are focusing on family therapy and relationships rather than punishment for juvenile crimes. Future Hughes County juvenile delinquency numbers will show whether or not this approach is working.

Government of Hughes County, SD

https://sd.gov/

County Seat:	Pierre
Government Type:	County
Authority:	Dillon's Rule
Year Organized:	1880
Total Square Miles:	801
2019 Population:	17,666
Persons/Square Mile:	0.05
County Contact:	104 E Capitol Ave County Courthouse Pierre , SD 57501-2567 https://www.hughescounty.org/

Hughes County, SD Courts