Justice Jeff Funke volunteered to serve as presiding judge for the third round of the 2023 State Nebraska High School Mock Trial finals, marking a one-time return to trial court duties. Trials were held on December 11 and 12, 2023, at the Cornhusker Hotel in Lincoln.

Beyond his judging duties, Funke demonstrated commitment to the Lyle Strom High School Mock Trial Competition attending the evening banquet where he acknowledged and congratulated student teams and news reporters. He was also an active participant in the Mock Trial trivia game calling on teams to answer questions and tossing large cubes of Post-it notes to winning students.

Assisting in team identification and cube-throwing were Judge Jodi Nelson, Judge Tom Harmon, Bar Foundation Secretary Steve Gealy, and Foundation staff Executive Director Doris Huffman, with organizer Maggie Killeen and Mary Monahan.

Photos: Justice Jeff Funke serves as presiding judge for High School Mock Trials with Judge Daniel Fridrich of the Workers Compensation Court. Justice Funke prepared to toss Mock Trial Post-it note cubes to winning teams of the evening trivia contest.