LINCOLN -- According to Supreme Court Justice William B. Cassel, the Judicial Nominating Commission for District Judge in the 9th Judicial District (consisting of Buffalo and Hall counties) will hold a public hearing at the Buffalo County Courthouse, Courtroom #1, 1512 Central Ave., Kearney, Nebraska, beginning at 10:30 a.m. on Friday, January 24, 2025.  At the hearing, the commission will receive information on the qualifications of candidates to fill the vacancy in the office of district judge due to Judge Ryan Carson’s appointment to the federal bench.  The primary place of office for the judicial vacancy shall be Kearney, Buffalo County, Nebraska.   

Individuals interested in applying for the vacancy can obtain a Judicial Vacancy Application package from the Nebraska Judicial Branch Web site at https://supremecourt.nebraska.gov/administration/attorneys/judicial-vacancies-and-judicial-nominating-commission-information/judicial-vacancy-application-package.  Completed applications may be submitted electronically to nsc.jnc@nejudicial.gov or by hard copy and must be returned no later than 3:00 p.m., Friday, January 3, 2025. Please note that applications sent to any other email address, including an obsolete nebraska.gov address formerly shown on the application form, will NOT be received and may not result in an error message to the applicant. Candidates submitting their applications by email should take steps to verify timely receipt, as the deadline cannot be extended based on email transmission failure. Candidates are requested to include email addresses for all persons identified by the applicant for questions 25, 26, and 27 of the Personal Data Sheet.   

Any member of the public wishing to present his or her views concerning any candidate for the judicial vacancy may do so by:

1. Written public testimony, signed and clearly labeled as such, should be mailed to the Commission Chair no later than January 17, 2025, at the following address: Justice William B. Cassel, Nebraska Supreme Court, PO Box 98910, Lincoln, NE 68509 or emailed to ashley.jenkins@nejudicial.gov.   
2. Oral public testimony may be presented during the public hearing in Courtroom #1 of the Buffalo County Courthouse, Kearney, Nebraska.

Additional information, including letters of recommendation, may be submitted in writing to the commission at any time prior to its selection of qualified candidates to fill the vacancy, which may occur immediately after the public hearing. Such information should be mailed to the commission chair or emailed to ashley.jenkins@nejudicial.gov. All such additional information shall be deemed confidential communications to the commission.

A listing of the members of the Judicial Nominating Commission can be found on the Nebraska Judicial Branch Web site at https://supremecourt.nebraska.gov/administration/committees-commissions/judicial-nominating-commissions/judicial-nominating-commission-ninth-district-countydistrict-court.

For special accommodations relating to the Americans with Disabilities Act, please call (402) 471-3730.  For persons who are deaf or hard of hearing, please call the Nebraska Relay System, 7-1-1. AA/EOE.