Judicial Resources Commission to Hold December 10 Public Hearing

Judicial Resources Commission to Hold December 10 Public Hearing

On December 10, 2020, at 1 p.m., central time, the Judicial Resources Commission will hold a public meeting to take up the following matters:

  1. ANNUAL MEETING: The Judicial Resources Commission will hold its annual meeting pursuant to Neb. Rev. Stat. § 24-1205 to determine whether (1) a new judgeship is appropriate in any judicial district or a reduction in judgeships is appropriate in any judicial district, or (2) the judicial district boundaries or the number of judicial districts should be changed for the district or county courts. The Commission shall also examine current caseload statistics and make any appropriate recommendations for the more balanced use of existing judicial resources.
     
  2.  JUDICIAL RETIREMENTS: Additionally, the Commission will take up three judicial retirements to determine:

a.         Whether a judicial vacancy exists in the office of the County Court, 1st  Judicial District due to the retirement of Judge Steven B. Timm, effective October 31, 2020, and if so to make a recommendation to the Supreme Court  as to the primary place of office of said vacancy.

b.         Whether a judicial vacancy exists in the office of the District Court, 3rd  Judicial District due to the retirement of Judge John A. Colborn, effective October 31, 2020, and if so to make a recommendation to the Supreme Court as to the primary place of office of said vacancy.

c.         Whether a judicial vacancy exists in the office of the County Court, 5th  Judicial District due to the retirement of Judge Linda Caster Senff, effective October 31, 2020, and if so to make a recommendation to the Supreme Court as to the primary place of office of said vacancy.

The public meeting will be conducted in Room 1510 of the State Capitol Building in Lincoln, Nebraska. The meeting will include videoconferencing from the following sites: (1) Omaha Reporting Center (Spring Location), 8313 Spring Plaza, Abbott Room, Omaha, Nebraska; (2) North Platte District 11 Probation Office, 110 East 3rd Street, North Platte, Nebraska; (3) McCook District 11 Probation Office, 502 Norris Avenue, McCook, Nebraska; (4) Hastings Probation Office, 300 North St. Joseph, Room 137, Hastings, Nebraska; (5) Columbus Reporting Center, 2282 East 32nd Avenue, Columbus, Nebraska; and (6) Fremont Probation Office, 2860 West 23rd Drive, Fremont, Nebraska.

Please note these videoconferencing sites will not be used to receive public testimony.  Anyone wishing to present testimony for the Commission’s consideration may do so in one of two ways:

  1. Written testimony mailed before the meeting: Those wishing to present written testimony or other pertinent information may do so by mailing the information, no later than December 3, 2020, to: Dawn Mussmann, State Capitol Building, 12th Floor, Lincoln, NE 68509, or e-mailing it to: Dawn.Mussmann@nebraska.gov
     
  2. Oral testimony offered during the hearing: Those wishing to present oral testimony during the December 10th meeting may do so by appearing in the public hearing in Room 1510 of the State Capitol, Lincoln, Nebraska. The public hearing room is large, but all persons attending should be prepared for staggered admittance and restricted seating in order to maintain appropriate social distancing and comply with any directed health measures in effect.   

Commission members are:

Hon. Stephanie F. Stacy, Chair                 Hon. Anne M. Paine, McCook

Stephen Bader, Bellevue                           Robert J. Parker, Hastings

Charles E. Conrad, Hastings                     Brian Phares, North Platte

 William Dittrick, Omaha                            Hon. John E. Samson, Blair

Timothy R. Engler, Lincoln                        Lori Scherer, Beemer

Hon. Matthew R. Kahler, Omaha            Robert Slovek, Omaha

Roxanne Kracl, Fremont                            Darlene Starman, Lincoln

Michael J. McCarthy, North Platte        Jacqueline Tessendorf, Columbus

Christopher Nielsen, Omaha                                

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 at 711.