Problem-Solving Court Chairperson, Judge Jim Doyle of Lexington, speaks to the Legislature’s Judiciary Committee during a briefing on Problem-Solving and Mental Health Courts, January 9, 2020. The briefing, held the second day of the legislative session, was open to all members of the Legislature.

The NET News report aired in early 2020: Nebraska Drug Courts Expand In 2019, Mental Health Courts Possible In 2020.

Whether serving as a presiding judge, an attorney coach, or program speaker, state judges from all levels of court volunteered for the 2019 Judge Lyle Strom High School Mock Trial Program.

Judicial volunteers of note include: 

Duchesne Academy of the Sacred Heart in Omaha placed first in the 2019 Judge Lyle Strom High School Mock Trial State Championship.

The competition took place Monday and Tuesday at the Lancaster County Justice and Law Enforcement Center in Lincoln.

Duchesne will represent Nebraska May 6-9 at the National High School Mock Trial Championship in Evansville, Indiana.

Damon Bennett, a junior at Grand Island Northwest High School, is the winner of the second annual Student News Reporter Contest at the Judge Lyle Strom High School Mock Trial State Championship.

The Mock Trial State Championship, coordinated by the Nebraska State Bar Foundation, took place Dec. 9-10 in Lincoln.

Ed Malk, the Lancaster County Veterans Treatment Court Lead Mentor received an award from The Berry Law Firm. Wednesday, November 20 at the Lancaster County District Court the Berry Law Firm presented Mr. Malk with a $500 check for his volunteer work with the court. Ed is the lead mentor of a team consisting of 10 volunteer veteran mentors.

The Nebraska Consortium of Tribal, State, and Federal Courts, co-chaired by Judge Patrick Runge (Winnebago and Ponca Tribe Chief Judge) and Judge Andrea Miller (District 12) traveled to four locations around the state to engage in initial conversations with Nebraska’s Native American communities. Various Consortium members as well as Chief Justice Michael Heavican joined facilitators Ret. Judge Bill Thorne and Jenny Walter for sessions in Omaha, Niobrara, Macy and Winnebago in early November.

Unique to the Supreme Court traveling argument session South Sioux City were a group of students who were notably nontraditional in nature: a group of adult learners working on their interpretation skills.

The Court session, held November 1, 2019, is part of the Supreme Court Justice’s outreach and education programming, which generally attracts high school students, community dignitaries, and some members of the general public.

More than 450 probation, community corrections, and behavioral professionals came together October 28th-30th in LaVista for the 2019 Justice and Behavioral Health Conference. The Administrative Office of the Courts and Probation sponsored this statewide event in partnership with the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services Division of Behavioral Health and the Mid-America ATTC.

Nebraska State Probation officers officially sworn-in October 16, 2019 in the Capitol Rotunda by Supreme Court Chief Justice Michael Heavican.

Deb Minardi, State Probation Administrator, addressed the 59 new officers, their families, and fellow probation employees noting that probation’s work is both complex and dynamic and presents a multitude of challenges on any given day in Nebraska, there are over 16,000 adults and over 2,000 juveniles under probation supervision.

Judge Thomas Harmon of the county court in Omaha and Judge Holly Parsley of the county court in Lincoln were awarded the Supreme Court’s highest honors during the annual meeting in La Vista on October 10, 2019.

Harmon was presented the Improvement of Community Relations Award, and Parsley was given the Improvement of the Judicial System Award by Chief Justice Mike Heavican at the Court’s Annual Judicial Dinner. The awards recognize members of the judiciary for meritorious projects and exemplary accomplishments beyond their day-to-day duties as a judge.