In an announcement designed to coincide with his 70th birthday today, Omaha Judge Gary B. Randall let his fellow judges know that he will retire December 31, 2020, after 23 years of service.

In his letter to the Governor, Randall noted, “It has been my pleasure to serve as a district court judge in Douglas County, Nebraska, for 23 years as of December 31, 2020. I thank you [Governor] and the citizens of the State of Nebraska for the opportunity to serve the public in what has been an extremely rewarding career.”

As his legacy, Judge Randall leaves the legal community with a judicial career filled with volunteer work designed to improve the judicial system and the process of justice for Nebraskans. In recognition of these efforts, Randall was awarded the Distinguished Judge for Improvement of the Judicial System in 2014. The award is the highest honor given by Nebraska’s Chief Justice for judicial contributions to the improvement of the court system. He is a Nebraska State Bar Foundation Fellow, an honorary group of legal professionals whose membership is based on integrity and character.

Randall focused a significant portion of his volunteer efforts on children in family law cases. He studied Nebraska’s Parenting Act and regularly educated the community on complex parenting legislation with a consistent focus on the child's best interest.

As a tireless advocate for courtroom transparency, Randall is a frequent lecturer on the opening of Nebraska’s courtrooms to television cameras, educating members of the legal profession and the media on the proper application of rules allowing electronics in courtrooms. 

Randall has served on numerous committees for the Nebraska District Judges Association. He was elected to all Association offices, including the position of president in 2004. He has served as chair of the District Judges Legislative Committee for 11 years, earning him a seat at the Chief Justice’s Leadership Conference for the same number of years.

His interest in problem-solving courts led him to serve on the Supreme Court Committee on Problem-Solving Courts and the Ad Hoc Committee on Mental Health in Courts. He is currently the presiding judge for the Adult Drug Court in Douglas County. Randall’s other endeavors include serving on the Supreme Court Technology Committee and volunteering on the Court’s Practice and Procedure Committee. 

On a national level, Randall has worked with the American Bar Association’s Judicial Division through leadership on several committees. He also chaired the American Bar Association’s National Conference of State Trial Court Judges in 2009, having been elected to all officer positions. 

Randall has served the citizens of Douglas County (4th Judicial District) from December 31, 1997, to his 2020 retirement. After taking the bench, he was retained in his position by area voters, most recently in 2014. Regardless of his appearance on this November’s ballot, he will retire at the end of the year as planned.

The first step in replacing Randall will be for the Judicial Resources Commission to call a meeting to determine whether or not, based on judicial workload statistics, his retirement creates a judicial vacancy on the district court bench of the Fourth Judicial District (Douglas County).

News Reporters:

Judge Gary Randall’s Judicial Profile 

Judge Randall’s Updated Curriculum Vitae

Replacing a Nebraska Trial Court Judge

Judicial Resources Commission Information