New Magistrate Judge Appointed in the Third Judicial Circuit

PRESS RELEASE
For Immediate Release: Jan. 22, 2025
Contact:Alisa Bousa, Public Information Officer, [email protected], 605.773.2031

New Magistrate Judge Appointed in the Third Judicial Circuit

PIERRE, S.D.-The Unified Judicial System is pleased to announce that the South Dakota Supreme Court has appointed Gary W. Schumacher as a magistrate judge for the Third Judicial Circuit.

Schumacher fills a magistrate judge vacancy created with Judge Abigail A. Howard's recent appointment as a circuit court judge for the Third Judicial Circuit. Schumacher will take the bench on March 3, 2025.

Schumacher received a bachelor of science degree in civil engineering from South Dakota State University in 1987 and his juris doctor from the University of South Dakota School of Law in 1998. He practiced law at the Wilkinson & Wilkinson law firm (later the Wilkinson & Schumacher Law Prof. L.L.C.) from 1998 to the present, was Kingsbury County deputy state's attorney from 1998 to 2008, Hamlin County state's attorney from 2012 to 2016 and deputy state's attorney from 2016 to the present, Kingsbury County state's attorney from 2021 to the present, and the Kingsbury County veteran services officer from 2012 to the present.

Schumacher also served in the South Dakota Army National Guard and the U.S. Army Reserves from 1982 to 2017 with deployments to Desert Shield/Desert Storm in 1990 to 1991 and Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan in 2004 to 2005 and 2010 to 2011. He retired at the rank of colonel in 2017.

As a magistrate judge, Schumacher will hear cases in Beadle and Codington counties and handle Beadle County Drug & DUI Court.

The Third Judicial Circuit includes Beadle, Brookings, Clark, Codington, Deuel, Grant, Hamlin, Hand, Jerauld, Kingsbury, Lake, Miner, Moody and Sanborn counties.

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View Gary W. Schumacher's headshot.

About South Dakota Courts:The Unified Judicial System (UJS) consists of the Supreme Court, Circuit Courts and State Court Administrator's Office. The Supreme Court is the state's highest court and final decision maker on South Dakota law. The Circuit Courts are the state's trial courts where criminal proceedings and civil litigation are handled. The State Court Administrator's Office provides centralized administrative assistance and support services for the South Dakota judiciary. Learn more at https://ujs.sd.gov.

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