The third cohort of the Judicial Leadership Development Program began in October with Justice Rebecca Love Kourlis (Retired from the Colorado Supreme Court) kicking-off the program series. Kourlis is currently the Executive Director of the Institute for the Advancement of the American Legal System (IAALS) which is a national, independent research center dedicated to facilitating continuous improvement and advancing excellence in the American legal system.

The Judicial Leadership Development Program is designed for state trial court judges who have been on the bench for at least two years and for no more than seven years. As the court system faces continuing change related to access to justice for all citizens, the leadership program is intended to expose judges to current trends and emerging issues and to prepare the judges to assume future leadership roles within the judicial branch. The court system is impacted by changing demographics including an increasing number of litigants who seek to represent themselves in court, geographical shifts in population, gaps in the availability of legal services, and continuing financial challenges.

Nebraska’s trial court judges are faced with the responsibility for the overall health of judicial institutions and their effectiveness in dispensing justice--their leadership is vital. 

The 2018-2019 Judicial Leadership Development Program judges are:

• Judge Matthew Acton
• Judge Linda Bauer
• Judge Rachel Daugherty
• Judge Stephanie Hansen
• Judge Lori Maret
• Judge John Marsh
• Judge Julie Martin
• Judge Stefanie Martinez
• Judge John Rademacher
• Judge Rick Schreiner
• Judge George Thompson
• Judge Derek Vaughn
• Judge Mark Young
• Judge Thomas Zimmerman