Robin Jacobson Houwman at a glance
- Current role
- Presiding Circuit Judge
- Jurisdiction
- South Dakota · State
- Judicial service
- Active
Robin Jacobson Houwman
Presiding Circuit Judge · South Dakota Circuit Court
Biography
Professional career
- 2009–Present: Judge, Second Judicial Circuit, appointed by Governor M. Michael Rounds to fill a vacancy
- In January 2025, Chief Justice Steven R. Jensen reappointed Houwman as Presiding Judge of the Second Judicial Circuit
- She held the role of an Assistant US Attorney from 2008 to 2009, practiced at Meierhenry Sargent from 1997 to 2007, and clerked in the Second Circuit from 1996 to 1997
- Law clerk, Second Judicial Circuit
- Assistant U.S. Attorney, District of South Dakota
- Robin J. Houwman is the Presiding Circuit Judge for South Dakota’s Second Judicial Circuit
Education
- Smith College BA in 1993 and a University of South Dakota JD in 1996.
Additional information
- She was reelected in 2014 and 2022 and has held the position of presiding judge since 2018.
- overseeing Lincoln and Minnehaha counties, and has served in that role since 2018
- Notably, she helped establish the circuit’s DUI court in 2014
- Appointed to the Second Judicial Circuit by Governor Mike Rounds in September 2009, succeeding Glen Severson after his Supreme Court elevation.
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Applicable Court Rules & Procedures
Electronic Devices And Media
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.
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 ↗
Published courtroom rules
Shared court rules
South Dakota Unified Judicial System: Circuit Court Media Coverage
South Dakota Circuit Court; South Dakota 2nd Judicial Circuit Court
Scope is limited to the court class in the source claim. 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 ↗ · Collected 2026-07-27Sources
Identity source checked October 2, 2026.
Biography sources checked October 2, 2026.
South Dakota Unified Judicial System Directory
Identity source · HTML · Source checked September 25, 2026
View South Dakota Unified Judicial System Directory ↗South Dakota Unified Judicial System: Circuit Court Media Coverage
Statewide source · HTML · Source checked July 27, 2026
View South Dakota Unified Judicial System: Circuit Court Media Coverage ↗Robin Houwman Mediation Attorney
Identity source · HTML · Source checked September 25, 2026
View Robin Houwman Mediation Attorney ↗Robin Houwman Mediation Attorney
Identity source · HTML · Source checked September 25, 2026
View Robin Houwman Mediation Attorney ↗South Dakota Unified Judicial System official judicial roster
Identity source · HTML · Source checked July 27, 2026
View South Dakota Unified Judicial System official judicial roster ↗South Dakota Unified Judicial System: Circuit Court Media Coverage
Identity source · HTML · Source checked July 27, 2026
View South Dakota Unified Judicial System: Circuit Court Media Coverage ↗Robin Houwman Mediation Attorney
Identity source · HTML · Source checked September 25, 2026
View Robin Houwman Mediation Attorney ↗