Three veterans of the US Army and one from the US Marine Corps spent Tuesday evening, May 28, 2019, graduating from the Lancaster County Veterans Treatment Court. Veterans were surrounded by family, veteran mentors, members of the legal community, and public officials.

Participants from the nation’s state courts attended a Summit on Pandemic Preparedness at the University of Nebraska Medical Center (UNMC) May 22 – 24, 2019. The summit, hosted by Nebraska Chief Justice Michael Heavican, brought together state court chief justices and other court leaders, health officials, and members of the legislative and executive branches to discuss ways in which a pandemic outbreak will be addressed by the court system and other entities when the need arises

Students at the Creighton School of Law and the University of Nebraska Law College who provided free legal work for low income individuals were recognized for their service during May graduation ceremonies this year. Each student received a certificate of appreciation from the Nebraska Supreme Court Access to Justice Commission and Nebraska State Bar Association acknowledging their commitment to improving access to justice through contributions to law-related pro bono service as a student.

Law Students recognized at their respective ceremonies include:

The Nebraska Supreme Court dedicated their 2019 Law Day arguments at Scottsbluff High School to late Justice John F. Wright.  Wright died March 18, 2018, at the age of 72 before being able to return to his hometown for a high school argument session. According to local attorneys, Wright, who had served on the Scottsbluff School Board, would have greatly appreciated the court session.

2019-2020 Workgroups
During this year’s leadership council meeting, the Chief Justice appointed five work groups to complete projects before May 2020.  Each work group is comprised of two new-leader judge co-chairs, one committee chair/liaison, and one administrative staff member for support services.

The groups are:

Supreme Court and members of the Scottsbluff probation office gather in Scottsbluff to congratulate Stephanie Skinner, Lori Guerrero, and Sandra Raney on the establishment of the Second Chance Coalition of Western Nebraska. The Coalition is designed to assist individuals who have completed their probationary sentence to become fully productive members of their communities.

“Speaking of Nebraska” interview with the Chief Justice and Dennis Kellogg aired April 18, 2019. View the entire program:  http://netnebraska.org/basic-page/news/speaking-nebraska

In honor of Law Day, Nebraska Supreme Court Justices will hold oral arguments in the Scottsbluff High School auditorium on April 29, 2019, at 9:30 a.m.

This visit marks the first time that the Supreme Court has held court arguments in Scottsbluff. The event is part of a continuing effort by the Nebraska Supreme Court and the legal community to raise awareness of court processes and the importance of civics education to American society.

By Scott Stewart
The Daily Record

Hands shot up into the air at the Boys Town Music Hall last Thursday afternoon as justices of the Nebraska Supreme Court fielded a variety of questions from students wondering how much money they made, how they remain unbiased and what it took to land a spot on the bench.

Intensive News Reporting Session Held for UNL Students During National Judicial Outreach Week – March 1-10, 2019
 

Supreme Court Justice Jeff Funke, Clerk of the Supreme Court Wendy Wussow, and journalist Bill Kelly spent the morning of March 8, 2019, in the Nebraska Supreme Court Chambers with Prof. Jill Martin’s undergraduate reporting students discussing the Court’s appellate-level process. The goal of the discussion was to prepare student reporters to write stories on Supreme Court opinions and arguments.