District Court Judge Robert Steinke to Retire February 2
Judge of the District Court, Fifth Judicial District, Robert R. Steinke, has announced his retirement effective February 2, 2022.
In his letter to the Governor and the Chief Justice, Steinke noted, “It has been such an honor and privilege to have served the citizens of our great state, and in particular those of the Fifth Judicial District, since my appointment by Governor Nelson some 30 years ago.” He added, “I have been privileged to have served with so many outstanding jurists at all levels of our judicial system throughout my career.
The dedication, hard work, and impartiality of our judiciary is so important in safeguarding our constitutional form of government.”
As his legacy, Steinke leaves the judicial community with a carefully planned District Judge Orientation program.
For over 20 years, Steinke chaired the New Judges Orientation Committee committing himself to designing and refining curriculum materials and presentations for each new district court judge in the state.
Steinke leaves the bench with the highest honor given to judges by the Nebraska Chief Justice. Along with Supreme Court Justice William Cassel, he was awarded the Distinguished Judge for Service to the Community for his leadership in the Nebraska High School Mock Trial program. Steinke is well known in the education field for supporting the Nebraska High School Mock Trial program through the Nebraska State Bar Foundation. He has served as a regional coordinator and program promoter throughout his time on the bench.
Steinke is a Nebraska State Bar Foundation Fellow, a selection by colleagues in the legal profession based on integrity and character.
He has served on numerous judicial committees for both the Supreme Court and Nebraska District Judges Association.
He was elected to all judge association offices, including the president, in 2004. He has also served as presiding judge for the Fifth Judicial District-District Court for several consecutive years.
Steinke has served the citizens of Platte County (5th Judicial District) from 1991 to his 2022 retirement.
After taking the bench, he was retained in his position by area voters, most recently in 2018.
The first step in replacing Steinke will be for the Judicial Resources Commission to call a meeting to determine whether or not, based on judicial workload statistics, his retirement creates a judicial vacancy on the district court bench of the Fifth Judicial District.
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Judge Steinke’s Judicial Profile