Forman District Court is the same court as the Sargent county district court and is in North Dakota's Southeast judicial district.

A government survey party came into the county to a point, now known as the Sisseton Hills, around 1879. In the following year settlers, mostly of Norwegian and German origin, came into the area and laid claim to tracts of land. During the next ten years the arrival of the Soo, Great Northern and Northern Pacific railroads attracted a large of number of pioneers to the county. The county was formed from the Southern half of Ransom county and the territorial governor appointed the first commissioners and selected Milnor as the county seat around 1883, however the following year a county election chose Forman to take that designation. Artifacts related to the Mandan, Hidatsa, Blackfoot, Cree and Chippewa have been found throughout the county. When settlement began only the Sioux remained in the county. The writing rock known as the Alter Stone, arrow points, spear points, pottery, hammers and tethering stones have been found all over the county.