South Dakota has 66 counties and 64 courthouses. The buildings are both majestic and beautiful. But their history is deeper than architecture. It’s an often colorful history including tales of deception and bribery as towns battled over county seats.
A new SDPB-TV documentary, Temples of Justice, tells the stories of the state’s county courthouses from territorial days to the present. It airs Thursday, February 26 at 8 pm, CT; 7 pm, MT.
Producer Stephanie Rissler and Art Rusch, retired circuit court judge, current state senator and author of County Capitols: The Courthouses of South Dakota, joined Dakota Midday and discussed the program.