Civil Rights

Civil Rights

The Civil Rights Section of the United States Attorney’s Office works aggressively to enforce federal civil rights laws and increase community engagement throughout the District of South Dakota. In collaboration with the U.S. Department of Justice’s Civil Rights Division, the Civil Rights Section works to uphold the civil and constitutional rights of all South Dakotans, particularly those of the most vulnerable members of society. 

The U.S. Attorney’s Office handles both civil and criminal civil rights matters. With limited exceptions, the U.S. Attorney's Office represents the United States of America, not any specific individual.

Civil Enforcement

Through civil litigation, the Civil Rights Section enforces over twenty federal statutes, ensuring that South Dakotans equal opportunity and equal justice under the law. We enforce federal civil laws prohibiting discrimination on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, pregnancy, religion, disability, military status, and other protected characteristics in the areas of education, housing, transportation, and employment, among others. In many instances, the Civil Rights Section is authorized to proceed with enforcement only where there is a pattern or practice of the defendant violating applicable law; however, we encourage individuals who are aware of even a single violation to report it to us because, often, our investigation of an individual complaint leads to evidence of a pattern or practice of similar violations against others. 

Criminal Enforcement

The Civil Rights Section investigates and prosecutes violations of federal criminal civil rights laws. These include laws that prohibit (i) use of unreasonable force by law enforcement or other misconduct by individuals acting under color of law that deprives an individual of their rights under the Constitution, (ii) hate crimes or bias-motivated crimes, and (iii) intentional damage or destruction to religious property because of its religious nature or using force or threats to obstruct a victim’s right to freely exercise their religious beliefs. Additionally, our office’s innovative strategies to combat human trafficking have been adopted nationwide, and several of our prosecutors are recognized as national experts.

To Report a Civil Rights Violation:

 Anyone wishing to report a potential violation of federal civil rights laws can submit the attached  

Civil Rights Complaint Form-2024

Civil Rights Complaint Form (2022)-Spanish

by email to USASD.CivilRightsComplaints@usdoj.gov or by mail to:

Civil Rights Coordinator, Civil Division
United States Attorney's Office -District of South Dakota
P.O. Box 2638
Sioux Falls, SD 57101-2638

Individuals wishing to report a hate crime or criminal threat should contact their local police department. Individuals with knowledge of person(s) being trafficked should contact the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Minneapolis Field Office. Anyone facing imminent harm should call 911.

Please note there are time limits for filing a charge of discrimination or prosecuting a hate crime or criminal threat, and thus it is important to report such misconduct as soon as reasonably possible. 

Other federal agencies also handle civil rights complaints related to employment discrimination, housing discrimination, discrimination in education, and veteran discrimination.  To report:

Employment discrimination, contact the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission

Housing discrimination, contact the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development

Education discrimination, contact the United States Department of Education, Office of Civil Rights

Violations of the Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act, contact the United States Department of Labor, Veterans' Employment and Training Service (VETS)

Para información de sus derechos civiles en Español, se visita https://www.justice.gov/crt-espanol.