--- title: "Janki V. Sharma | KnowJudges" canonical: "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/janki-v-sharma-sd-limited" page_type: "judge_profile" updated: "2026-10-07" --- # Janki V. Sharma South Dakota Magistrate Court · Magistrate Judge ## Profile - Court: South Dakota Magistrate Court - State: South Dakota - Role: Magistrate Judge - Service status: active - Last verified: 2026-10-02 ## Summary Official statewide and applicable court procedural guidance applies to this judge. ## Biography ### Professional career - She has been serving at the Pennington County Public Defender’s Office since 2017 and previously served as a term law clerk for Magistrate Judge Thomas D. Thalken at the United States District Court for the District of Nebraska in Omaha - Magistrate Judge, Seventh Judicial Circuit Pennington Rapid City - appointed May 19 2022 by Supreme Court Presiding Pfeifle - Selected as a full-time magistrate judge for the Seventh Judicial Circuit in South Dakota, with the appointment approved by the South Dakota Supreme Court in May 2022 - Appointed a full-time magistrate judge for South Dakota’s Seventh Judicial Circuit in 2022, with announcement in May - Pennington County Public Defender Rapid City 2017-2022 - She clerked for federal Magistrate Judge Thomas Thalken in Nebraska and worked in the Pennington County Public Defender’s Office from 2017 before her appointment. - Term law clerk Hon Thomas Thalken US District Nebraska Omaha ### Education ### Additional information - As a magistrate judge, Sharma conducts preliminary hearings for criminal prosecutions, presides over trials for criminal misdemeanors, and handles small claims proceedings and civil debt actions. - D; o; a; n; e; - S;; a; n; d; - A; - M; a; n; a; g; e; m; e; n; t;,; - B; o; r; n; - I; n; d; i; a; - M; u; z; z; a; f; f; a; r; n; a; g; a; r; - P;,;; m; o; v; e; d; - L; i; n; c; o; l; n; - E;; 2; 0; 0; 1 - U; n; i; v; e; r; s; i; t; y;; o; f; - N; e; b; r; a; s; k; a; - C; o; l; l; e; g; e;; o; f; - L; a; w; - J - D;; 2; 0; 1; 6 - Born and raised in India, she moved to the United States for higher education. - Her magistrate work includes preliminary criminal hearings, misdemeanor trials, small claims and civil debt actions. - News coverage records her taking the judicial oath on the Ramayana. ## Before you appear - Read the judge-specific standing order first when one is listed. - Check the docket and case orders for requirements that supersede broader guidance. - Confirm current remote-access and courtroom technology arrangements before the proceeding. ## Courtroom Rules ### electronic devices and media Scope: statewide South Dakota's published statewide guidance permits expanded media coverage in circuit and magistrate proceedings only when the parties and court agree, and the court may modify the coverage at any time. Evidence excerpt: Expanded media coverage (audio, video and still photos) is allowed when the parties of the case and the court all agree that such coverage should be permitted. [South Dakota Unified Judicial System: Circuit Court Media Coverage](https://ujs.sd.gov/for-the-media/) Source checked: 2026-07-27 ## Sources - [Official profile](https://ujs.sd.gov/sd-unified-judicial-system-directory/) - [Official roster](https://ujs.sd.gov/court-finder/seventh-judicial-circuit/circuit-contacts-seventh-judicial-circuit/) - [South Dakota Unified Judicial System Directory](https://ujs.sd.gov/sd-unified-judicial-system-directory/) - [South Dakota Unified Judicial System: Circuit Court Media Coverage](https://ujs.sd.gov/for-the-media/) - [Biography source supplied in SD-Judges.csv](http://ujs.sd.gov/ujs-news/south-dakota-magistrate-judge-janki-v-sharma-appointed-for-the-seventh-judicial-circuit/) - [Biography source supplied in SD-Judges.csv](https://americankahani.com/business/janki-sharma-appointed-magistrate-judge-of-the-seventh-judicial-circuit) - [Biography source supplied in SD-Judges.csv](http://ujs.sd.gov/ujs-news/south-dakota-magistrate-judge-janki-v-sharma-appointed-for-the-seventh-judicial-circuit/) - [Biography source supplied in SD-Judges.csv](https://americankahani.com/business/janki-sharma-appointed-magistrate-judge-of-the-seventh-judicial-circuit) - [South Dakota Unified Judicial System official judicial roster](https://ujs.sd.gov/sd-unified-judicial-system-directory/) - [South Dakota Unified Judicial System: Circuit Court Media Coverage](https://ujs.sd.gov/for-the-media/) - [Biography source supplied in SD-Judges.csv](http://ujs.sd.gov/ujs-news/south-dakota-magistrate-judge-janki-v-sharma-appointed-for-the-seventh-judicial-circuit/) - [Biography source supplied in SD-Judges.csv](https://americankahani.com/business/janki-sharma-appointed-magistrate-judge-of-the-seventh-judicial-circuit) - [ujs.sd.gov](https://ujs.sd.gov/ujs-news/south-dakota-magistrate-judge-janki-v-sharma-appointed-for-the-seventh-judicial-circuit/) - [americankahani.com](https://americankahani.com/business/janki-sharma-appointed-magistrate-judge-of-the-seventh-judicial-circuit-in-south-dakota/) - [indiawest.com](https://indiawest.com/indian-american-janki-v-sharma-named-magistrate-judge-for-seventh-judicial-circuit/) - [www.indiaoverseasreport.com](https://www.indiaoverseasreport.com/judge-janki-sharma-in-south-dakota-took-oath-of-office-on-the-ramayana/) - [South Dakota Unified Judicial System official judicial roster](https://ujs.sd.gov/sd-unified-judicial-system-directory/) - [South Dakota Unified Judicial System: Circuit Court Media Coverage](https://ujs.sd.gov/for-the-media/) - [Biography source supplied in SD-Judges.csv](http://ujs.sd.gov/ujs-news/south-dakota-magistrate-judge-janki-v-sharma-appointed-for-the-seventh-judicial-circuit/) - [Biography source supplied in SD-Judges.csv](https://americankahani.com/business/janki-sharma-appointed-magistrate-judge-of-the-seventh-judicial-circuit) ## JSON-LD ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "WebPage", "@id": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/janki-v-sharma-sd-limited", "url": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/janki-v-sharma-sd-limited", "name": "Janki V. Sharma | KnowJudges", "description": "Janki V. Sharma, South Dakota Magistrate Court. Source-linked judicial identity, courtroom procedures, and presentation guidance.", "dateModified": "2026-10-07", "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://knowjudges.com/#website" }, "mainEntity": { "@id": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/janki-v-sharma-sd-limited#judge" } }, { "@type": "Person", "@id": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/janki-v-sharma-sd-limited#judge", "name": "Janki V. 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Shared court context only; case-type restrictions, exceptions, later amendments and case orders apply. This is not a personal preference or a complete rules inventory. [Official source](https://ujs.sd.gov/for-the-media/). Collected 2026-07-27.