LINCOLN -- According to Supreme Court Judge John R. Freudenberg, the Judicial Nominating Commission for Supreme Court Judge in the 5th Judicial District (consisting of Butler, Cass, Clay, Colfax, Fillmore, Gage, Hall, Hamilton, Jefferson, Johnson, Merrick, Nance, Nemaha, Nuckolls, Otoe, Pawnee, Platte, Polk, Richardson, Saline, Saunders, Seward, Thayer, Webster, and York counties) will hold a public hearing at the Hamilton County Courthouse, District Court Courtroom, 1111 13th Street, Aurora, Nebraska, beginning at 10:00 a.m. on Thursday, December 12, 2024.  At the hearing, the commission will receive information on the qualifications of candidates to fill the vacancy in the office of supreme court judge due to Judge Jeffrey Funke’s appointment as Chief Justice of the Nebraska Supreme Court effective November 1, 2024.     

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., Thursday, November 21, 2024. 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. Applicants submitting their applications by email should take steps to verify timely receipt, as the deadline cannot be extended based on email transmission failure. Applicants 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 testimony for the commission’s consideration may do so one of two ways:

1. Written testimony provided in advance:  Those wishing to present written testimony or other pertinent information may do so by mailing the information to the Commission Chair no later than December 5, 2024, at the following address: Judge John R. Freudenberg, Nebraska Supreme Court, PO Box 98910, Lincoln, NE 68509 or email it to ashley.jenkins@nejudicial.gov.   
2. Oral testimony offered during the hearing: Those wishing to present oral testimony may do so by attending the public hearing in the District Court Courtroom of the Hamilton County Courthouse, Aurora, Nebraska.

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-commission-supreme-court-fifth-district.

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.