--- title: "Mark W Haigh | KnowJudges" canonical: "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/mark-w-haigh-south-dakota-us-magistrate" page_type: "judge_profile" updated: "2026-10-08" --- # Mark W Haigh U.S. District Court for the District of South Dakota · U.S. Magistrate Judge ## Profile - Court: U.S. District Court for the District of South Dakota - State: South Dakota - Role: U.S. 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 - US Magistrate Judge Western Division District SD Rapid City 515 9th St - selected March 13 2026 replacing Daneta Wollmann - In March 2026, the U.S. District Court for the District of South Dakota selected Haigh to serve as Magistrate Judge for the Western Division - Mark W. Haigh is a U.S. Magistrate Judge for the Western Division of the United States District Court for the District of South Dakota, appointed in March 2026 to replace retiring Judge Danetta Wollmann - Partner Evans Haigh & Hinton/Arndt Jan 2016-March 2026 commercial litigation ethics civil rights med mal insurance product liability - Before joining the judiciary, Haigh practiced law in the Twin Cities for two years, then became a partner at Davenport, Evans, Hurwitz & Smith, LLP in Sioux Falls in 1997. - Law Clerk Hon Donald Porter US District SD 1990-1991 - Donald J. Porter, Chief Judge of the U.S. District Court for the District of South Dakota, from 1990–1991 - Mark W. Haigh serves as a United States magistrate judge for the District of South Dakota’s Western Division in Rapid City - He clerked for federal Chief Judge Donald Porter, then practiced for many years in Sioux Falls, among them partnership at Davenport, Evans, Hurwitz & Smith and later Evans, Haigh & Arndt ### Education - Juris Doctor, magna cum laude, from the University of Minnesota Law School in 1990 - University of South Dakota in — B.S. (1986) - He grew up in Aberdeen and Pierre, obtained a University of South Dakota BA and graduated magna cum laude from the University of Minnesota Law School. ### Additional information - He later led Evans, Haigh & Arndt, LLP until 2016. - He was admitted to the bar in 1991 (Minnesota and U.S. District Court) and 1993 (South Dakota) - Mark W. Haigh was born March 2, 1964, in Aberdeen, South Dakota. - Twin Cities large firm 2 years - As Magistrate Judge, Haigh presides over cases referred under 28 U.S.C.. 636(b)(1)(B), including habeas corpus matters. - State bar leadership included president-elect and Judicial Qualifications Committee service. - His practice spanned commercial litigation, civil trials, bankruptcy, healthcare law, and other areas, with about 80% of his work in litigation - United States (No. 5:26-CV-05037), he issued an Order to Show Cause in a. 2241 petition, directing the U.S. Attorney to respond and allowing the petitioner to file a reply brief - His work included civil litigation, mediation and trial practice. - U; n; i; v; e; r; s; i; t; y;; o; f; - S; o; u; t; h; - D; a; k; o; t; a; - S;; 1; 9; 8; 6; - A; b; e; r; d; e; e; n; / - P; i; e; r; r; e - He is a Phi Beta Kappa graduate - Haigh has been active in professional organizations, including the State Bar of South Dakota (President Elect), American Bar Association, and American College of Trial Lawyers ## 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 ### civil remote testimony Scope: courtwide In federal district-court civil proceedings, testimony is ordinarily taken in open court; remote contemporaneous testimony requires good cause in compelling circumstances and appropriate safeguards. Evidence excerpt: For good cause in compelling circumstances and with appropriate safeguards, the court may permit testimony in open court by contemporaneous transmission from a different location. [Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 43(a), Testimony in Open Court](https://www.uscourts.gov/forms-rules/current-rules-practice-procedure/federal-rules-civil-procedure) Source checked: 2026-07-26 ### criminal recording and broadcasting Scope: courtwide Federal district courts may not permit courtroom photography or broadcasting during criminal judicial proceedings unless a statute or another federal rule provides an exception. Evidence excerpt: Except as otherwise provided by a statute or these rules, the court must not permit the taking of photographs in the courtroom during judicial proceedings or the broadcasting of judicial proceedings from the courtroom. [Federal Rule of Criminal Procedure 53, Courtroom Photographing and Broadcasting Prohibited](https://www.uscourts.gov/court-records/access-court-proceedings/remote-public-access-proceedings/history-cameras-broadcasting-and-remote-public-access-courts) Source checked: 2026-07-26 ## Sources - [Official profile](https://www.uscourts.gov/sites/default/files/document/cjra_na_0331.2026.pdf#page=84) - [Official roster](https://www.sdd.uscourts.gov/judges-info) - [U.S. Courts judicial profile or roster](https://www.uscourts.gov/sites/default/files/document/cjra_na_0331.2026.pdf#page=84) - [Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 43(a), Testimony in Open Court](https://www.uscourts.gov/forms-rules/current-rules-practice-procedure/federal-rules-civil-procedure) - [Federal Rule of Criminal Procedure 53, Courtroom Photographing and Broadcasting Prohibited](https://www.uscourts.gov/court-records/access-court-proceedings/remote-public-access-proceedings/history-cameras-broadcasting-and-remote-public-access-courts) - [Attorney Newsletter March 2026](https://www.sdd.uscourts.gov/content/attorney-newsletter-march-2026) - [Biography source supplied in SD-Judges.csv](https://www.sdd.uscourts.gov/) - [Biography source supplied in SD-Judges.csv](https://dehs.com/) - [Attorney Newsletter March 2026](https://www.sdd.uscourts.gov/content/attorney-newsletter-march-2026) - [Biography source supplied in SD-Judges.csv](https://www.sdd.uscourts.gov/) - [Biography source supplied in SD-Judges.csv](https://dehs.com/) - [U.S. Courts judicial profile or roster](https://www.uscourts.gov/sites/default/files/document/cjra_na_0331.2026.pdf#page=84) - [Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 43(a), Testimony in Open Court](https://www.uscourts.gov/forms-rules/current-rules-practice-procedure/federal-rules-civil-procedure) - [Federal Rule of Criminal Procedure 53, Courtroom Photographing and Broadcasting Prohibited](https://www.uscourts.gov/court-records/access-court-proceedings/remote-public-access-proceedings/history-cameras-broadcasting-and-remote-public-access-courts) - [Attorney Newsletter March 2026](https://www.sdd.uscourts.gov/content/attorney-newsletter-march-2026) - [Biography source supplied in SD-Judges.csv](https://www.sdd.uscourts.gov/) - [Biography source supplied in SD-Judges.csv](https://dehs.com/) - [www.sdd.uscourts.gov](https://www.sdd.uscourts.gov/judges-info) - [www.sdd.uscourts.gov](https://www.sdd.uscourts.gov/sites/sdd/files/newsletters/Attorney%20newsletter%203-13-26.pdf) - [southdakotasearchlight.com](https://southdakotasearchlight.com/2022/11/01/five-aim-to-fill-west-river-judicial-post-nov-8/) - [United States Courts judicial profile or roster](https://www.uscourts.gov/sites/default/files/document/cjra_na_0331.2026.pdf#page=84) - [Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 43(a), Testimony in Open Court](https://www.uscourts.gov/forms-rules/current-rules-practice-procedure/federal-rules-civil-procedure) - [Federal Rule of Criminal Procedure 53, Courtroom Photographing and Broadcasting Prohibited](https://www.uscourts.gov/court-records/access-court-proceedings/remote-public-access-proceedings/history-cameras-broadcasting-and-remote-public-access-courts) - [Attorney Newsletter March 2026](https://www.sdd.uscourts.gov/content/attorney-newsletter-march-2026) - [Biography source supplied in SD-Judges.csv](https://www.sdd.uscourts.gov/) - [Biography source supplied in SD-Judges.csv](https://dehs.com/) ## JSON-LD ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "WebPage", "@id": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/mark-w-haigh-south-dakota-us-magistrate", "url": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/mark-w-haigh-south-dakota-us-magistrate", "name": "Mark W Haigh | KnowJudges", "description": "Mark W Haigh, U.S. District Court for the District of South Dakota. 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Section-specific exceptions, waivers, later amendments and case orders remain applicable. This is a source excerpt, not an exhaustive statement of the rule. [Official source](https://www.uscourts.gov/sites/default/files/document/federal-rules-of-civil-procedure.pdf). Collected 2026-10-27. - [Federal Rules of Criminal Procedure, December 1, 2025](https://knowjudges.com/courtroom-rules/national-shared-set-8721a344fececced2257fe1d) — Criminal proceedings in United States District Courts; this conservative mapping does not distribute appellate-specific provisions to appellate judges. Section-specific exceptions, waivers, later amendments and case orders remain applicable. This is a source excerpt, not an exhaustive statement of the rule. [Official source](https://www.uscourts.gov/sites/default/files/document/federal-rules-of-criminal-procedure.pdf). Collected 2026-10-27.