The Nebraska Court of Appeals celebrated Constitution Day on the campus of York College on September 13, 2018. College and area high school students in attendance were reminded that the official Constitution Day is September 17.

The Court of Appeals sat in their customary two panels in the Bartholomew Performing Arts Center with Judge Lawrence Welch, Jr., presiding in the morning and Judge David Arterburn presiding in the afternoon.

Judge Arterburn is a graduate of York College.

A swearing-in ceremony for Sara Fowler as Clerk Magistrate of Hall County Court was held August 28, 2018, in the courthouse in Grand Island, Nebraska. Judge Arthur Wetzel opened the ceremony and welcomed guests.  Judge Alfred Corey administered the Clerk Magistrate oath of office. Both judges presented Fowler with her signed certificate of appointment.

Fowler had been serving as assistant clerk when she was selected to serve as clerk magistrate. 

Christine Christopherson has been named Director of Nebraska Judicial Branch Education (JBE), a position that oversees the coordination and delivery of educational offerings for all Judicial Branch employees and judges throughout the state.

The hiring panel included JBE Advisory Committee members: Judge Riko Bishop, Chair; Judge John Colborn, Vice Chair; Judge Linda Bauer, committee member; and Corey Steel, State Court Administrator.

The investiture ceremony of Judge John R. Freudenberg as a Justice of the Nebraska Supreme Court representing the 6th Appellate Court Judicial District was held August 10, 2018, in the Warner Chamber of the Nebraska State Capitol.

Wahoo Newspaper: Supreme Court Justices Stop in County  

Photo: Justices and court/probation visiting group receive personalized tour of recently completed Veterans Memorial for Saunders County.

Photo: Clerk of the Courts, Jodie Roberts, gives back-office tour to Justice Stephanie Stacy (left) and Chief Justice Heavican (right) following courthouse presentation where Roberts was thanked by the Court and by Judge Rachel Daugherty for combining the district court and county court clerk’s offices. What was once a pilot project has become a successful way of managing the court’s business in Polk County.

Norfolk Daily News: Nebraska Supreme Court justices use tour to learn ways to better serve

Photo: Chief Justice Heavican (podium) addresses Norfolk area lawyers following a continuing education session at Divots in Norfolk.

Day 3: Chief Justice Summer Tour education event State Court/Tribal Court Conference in South Sioux City, Nebraska

KITV News Report: Nebraska Tribal Courts creating working relationship with Nebraska Supreme Court

Photo: Leaders of the Nebraska state courts, tribal courts, legislators, Nebraska state government and tribal governments gather in South Sioux City Nebraska.

Photo: Justices from the tristate area discuss improving resources, process for youth in the juvenile justice system. (L to R) Chief Justice Mark Cady, Iowa; Chief Justice David Gilbertson, South Dakota; Chief Justice Mike Heavican, Nebraska; and, Justice Stephanie Stacy, Nebraska. 

Nebraska Court Improvement Project hosted a forum regarding the DHHS-CIP collaborative project to improve reunification rates for children placed out of home. CIP and DHHS have worked together to identify barriers and positive methods to increase the rate of reunification within 12 months.

The data show approximately 36% of youth are reunified with a parent or returned home on a trial-home-visit within twelve months, and this does not meet the federal guideline of 43.8%.