Nebraska District Court Judge John E. Samson, 6th Judicial District, announced his retirement effective December 31, 2023. He served on the district court bench for 20 years during which time he was one of the presiding judges of the District 6 Adult Drug Courts.

Samson worked tirelessly to establish the District 6 Adult Drug Court in Washington County. He organized staff and funding for operations by packaging together both county and state funds. The first graduation ceremony and celebration was held in January 2018 with Samson hosting the event.

Throughout his career as a judge, Samson served on many Nebraska Supreme Court Committees focusing on Judicial Resources, Nebraska’s Parenting Act, and the Dispute Resolution Advisory Council. He has held several volunteer positions within the Nebraska District Judges Association including service on the Court Reporters’ Committee, chairperson, 2008 - present.

Samson was presented with the Improvement of the Judicial System Award by Chief Justice Mike Heavican in October 2018, recognizing his exemplary accomplishments beyond his day-to-day duties as a judge. The award is the Court’s highest honor.

Regularly recognized for his leadership role in judicial administration, Samson co-developed and presented findings of the Judicial Workload Equalization Committee at the Chief Justice Leadership Conference where he served as new-judge leader. The year-long project was designed to assist in solving the ongoing struggle to provide fair and equitable assignments for judges and staff.  Previously, Samson co-chaired the Nebraska District and Juvenile Court Record Committee whose report served as a base for many subsequent studies within the court system.

A longtime supporter of the Nebraska High School Mock Trial program, Samson has served as a coach, regional coordinator for the 6th judicial district, and judge of local and regional competitions. The first step in replacing Samson 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 county court bench.

News Reporters:

Judge Samson’s Judicial Profile

Replacing a Nebraska Trial Court Judge