A. It shall be presumed that all court proceedings in the Third Judicial District will be conducted in person. However, court proceedings may be conducted by telephone, videoconferencing, or similar methods (“remote technology”) as follows:

   1. In its discretion, the Court may order that a court proceeding not involving testimony of witnesses by oral examination be conducted by remote technology.

   2. By agreement of the parties, and with permission of the Court, any court proceeding may be conducted by remote technology.

   3. In any civil case involving testimony of witnesses by oral examination where the parties disagree regarding the use of remote technology for a court proceeding, the parties shall avail themselves of the procedure set out in Neb. Rev. Stat. § 24-734(5).

   4. If Emergency Modified Court Operations are in effect, the administrative orders recommended by the Emergency Committee for the Third Judicial District and issued by the respective courts shall govern the use of remote technology for court proceedings.

   B. To schedule a court proceeding that is to be conducted by remote technology, the parties shall contact the appropriate court representative (i.e., Bailiff, Judicial Assistant, etc.) to receive instructions and, if necessary, a case-specific invitation to participate in the court proceeding.

   C. For court proceedings conducted by remote technology, a party intending to offer exhibits shall provide the exhibits to the court reporting personnel and all opposing parties in a timely manner prior to the hearing, or as otherwise provided by law. Exhibits shall be in PDF format unless approved in advance by the court reporting personnel. Exhibits or affidavits that exceed an aggregate total, often (10) pages, shall be submitted to the Court in hard copy.

   D. Supreme Court Rules and Local Rules of the Third Judicial District governing courtroom decorum and participation by videoconferencing shall apply to court proceedings conducted by remote technology.

Approved October 26, 2022.