South Dakota Unified Judicial System

In March 2020, the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) notified outh Dakota Unified Judicial System (UJS) that it opened a Title VI review after the Federal Coordination and Compliance Section in the Civil Rights Division received a complaint alleging that the Second Judicial Circuit (2JC) discriminated against LEP court users based on their national origin. That complaint alleged that 2JC, a subdivision of UJS, denied LEP court users meaningful access to interpreters in civil cases and proceedings. UJS received federal financial assistance from the U.S. Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, which assigned its Title VI enforcement authority to DOJ for this matter.

On October 4, 2021 DOJ  submits notification on closing of review of the UJS initiated under Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and its implementing regulations (Title VI). 42 U.S.C. §§ 2000d to 2000d7; 28 C.F.R. Part 42 Subsection C. DOJ closed the review based on the prompt actions taken by UJS, actions noted in the enclosed July 30, 2021 letter, and UJS’s agreement to develop and implement related items in consultation with DOJ. I appreciate UJS’s commitment to increase the availability of language assistance services and providing limited English proficient (LEP) court users with meaningful access to South Dakota state courts.

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