A swearing-in ceremony for Chelsie Tasso as Clerk Magistrate of Box Butte County Court was held October 21, 2020, in the Box Butte County Courthouse in Alliance, Nebraska. Judge Paul Wess opened and hosted the ceremony. “Chelsie is extremely organized, has great attention for detail, and is a...

While serving as Interim Director of Judicial Branch Education (JBE), Gene Cotter was tireless in his efforts with his JBE team to provide ongoing educational programming throughout the Judicial Branch amidst a pandemic. His guidance and positivity made the conversion from in-person education to...

Merritt Warren, Creighton, District Court judge in the 7th Judicial District from 1969-1991, died of natural causes at his home on October 10, 2020, shortly after celebrating his 97th birthday. Omaha World Herald: https://images.apollo.ai/articles/pdfs/2832897_937_10-14-2020.pdf Brockhaus Funeral...

Paul D. Empson, Chadron, District Court Judge in the 12th Judicial District from 1980 to 2007, died at his home on October 18, 2020. Obituary: https://www.chamberlainchapel.com/obituary/Paul-Empson Panhandle Post: https://panhandlepost.com/posts/59c627ca-caca-4c9c-934e-795dba21028d

Nebraska Probation supervised 2,357 individuals on probation for a domestic violence related charge in 2019. While Probation’s work to address domestic violence is only one part of a systemic response to the issue, it requires addressing the problem from multiple angles. Responding to domestic...

Resources for voters looking for information on judges standing for retention can be found on the Judicial Branch webpage. From the front page of the website, select the “Public” button of the left-hand side, at the bottom of the public index page select: “ Voting for Nebraska State Court Judges”...

Forms Coordinator Christina Werner announced new and revised forms during September, 2020. Guardianship/Conservatorship forms Suggestions for revisions from judges, attorneys, court staff and the public were taken into consideration and the Guardian/Conservator Forms Committee made changes to the...

In July 2020 Concord Mediation Center (CMC), an ODR-approved center, in collaboration with the Douglas County Juvenile Assessment Center (JAC) and the Omaha Police Department (OPD) embarked on a restorative process to promote positive dialogue between youth and members of the OPD. The JAC referred...

This year has created challenges for everyone in many different ways. The public health situation and necessary precautions resulted in big changes for the 2020 Court Improvement Project Annual Conference. Traditionally, CIP holds Regional Conferences in 3-4 locations across the state in order to...

Clerk Magistrates across the state gathered virtually to attend their annual Clerk Magistrate Conference September 16-18, 2020. Educational programs were presented by court staff, Administrative Office of the Courts and Probation staff, and Nebraska Supreme Court IT personnel with technical...