Lively discussions regarding State-Federal judicial cooperation were heard coming from the Reading Room of the Nebraska State Capitol Law Library on Thursday, May 24, 2018. Attendees included Nebraska Supreme Court Justices with Chief U.S. District Judges from Districts of Arkansas, Iowa, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, and North Dakota; incoming Chief Judges from Arkansas, Nebraska, and South Dakota; the Chief Judge for the 8th Circuit Court of Appeals; along with staff from the U.S. Court of Appeals and the U.S. District Court District of Nebraska.

Jason Cantone, JD, PhD, of the Federal Judicial Center led a session titled: Enhancing Cooperation Between Federal and State Judges which included a presentation of potential areas for cooperation between federal and state judges, and also discussion of how state-federal judicial councils can be used by courts.

Attendees received a copy of the Federal Judicial Center’s 2017 pocket guide on cooperation through judicial councils. Small group discussions yielded many thoughts on new avenues for cooperation.