---
title: "Robert Gusinsky | KnowJudges"
canonical: "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/robert-gusinsky-sd-appellate"
page_type: "judge_profile"
updated: "2026-10-07"
---

# Robert Gusinsky

Supreme Court of South Dakota · Justice

## Profile

- Court: Supreme Court of South Dakota
- State: South Dakota
- Role: Justice
- Service status: active
- Last verified: 2026-09-25

## Summary

Official statewide and applicable court procedural guidance applies to this judge.

## Biography

### Professional career

- 2025–present: Associate Justice, South Dakota Supreme Court
- 2024–present: Presiding Judge, Seventh Judicial Circuit
- Associate Justice of the South Dakota Supreme Court, appointed by Governor Larry Rhoden on November 4, 2025, and sworn in on December 8, 2025, to serve the First Supreme District
- He held the role of an Assistant US Attorney from 2007 to 2013, a Seventh Circuit judge from 2013, and presiding judge from 2024
- 1996–2007: Trial lawyer in Rapid City, at Lynn, Jackson, Shultz & Lebrun and later Clayborne, Loos, Strommen & Gusinsky
- Robert Gusinsky’s career spans aviation, law practice, federal prosecution, and judicial service at the circuit and supreme court levels
- His appointment filled the vacancy created by the retirement of Justice Janine M. Kern
- Justice Gusinsky represents the First Supreme District, which includes Custer, Lawrence, Meade, and Pennington counties

### Education

- the University of South Dakota School of Law in — J.D. (1996)

### Additional information

- It details his birth in Latvia, migration through Israel and Germany, arrival in California in 1978 at age 13, and later US citizenship.
- Practiced in Rapid City, among them Lynn Jackson Shultz & Lebrun and Clayborne Loos Strommen & Gusinsky.
- His appointment to the South Dakota Supreme Court reflects his long-standing legal experience and leadership in the Seventh Judicial Circuit
- His professional/community memberships include the South Dakota Lions Eye and Tissue Bank board and Blue Knights.

## 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: courtwide

South Dakota Supreme Court courtroom protocol instructs visitors not to bring cameras or recording equipment into the courtroom.

Evidence excerpt: Do not bring food, drinks, cameras or recording equipment into the courtroom.

[South Dakota Supreme Court Courtroom Protocol](https://ujs.sd.gov/supreme-court/courtroom-protocol/)
Source checked: 2026-07-27


## Sources

- [Official profile](https://ujs.sd.gov/supreme-court/)
- [Official roster](https://ujs.sd.gov/supreme-court/)
- [South Dakota Unified Judicial System official judicial roster](https://ujs.sd.gov/supreme-court/)
- [South Dakota Supreme Court Courtroom Protocol](https://ujs.sd.gov/supreme-court/courtroom-protocol/)
- [South Dakota Unified Judicial System Directory](https://ujs.sd.gov/sd-unified-judicial-system-directory/)
- [South Dakota Unified Judicial System Directory](https://ujs.sd.gov/sd-unified-judicial-system-directory/)
- [Wikidata: Robert Gusinsky](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q138504391)
- [justice-robert-gusinsky](https://ujs.sd.gov/sd-unified-judicial-system-directory/justice-robert-gusinsky/)
- [South Dakota Unified Judicial System official judicial roster](https://ujs.sd.gov/supreme-court/)
- [South Dakota Supreme Court Courtroom Protocol](https://ujs.sd.gov/supreme-court/courtroom-protocol/)
- [South Dakota Unified Judicial System Directory](https://ujs.sd.gov/sd-unified-judicial-system-directory/)
- [en.wikipedia.org](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Gusinsky)
- [ballotpedia.org](https://ballotpedia.org/Robert_Gusinsky)
- [South Dakota Unified Judicial System official judicial roster](https://ujs.sd.gov/supreme-court/)
- [South Dakota Supreme Court Courtroom Protocol](https://ujs.sd.gov/supreme-court/courtroom-protocol/)
- [South Dakota Unified Judicial System Directory](https://ujs.sd.gov/sd-unified-judicial-system-directory/)

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