March Declared Mediation Month for Nebraska
The Nebraska Supreme Court Office of Dispute Resolution kicked off the celebration of mediation month in Nebraska with a proclamation signing by the Governor at the State Capitol the morning of March 10, 2010.  The ceremony, attended by mediation professionals and supporters, recognized more than 18 years of conflict resolution services provided by the Nebraska Office of Dispute Resolution, ODR-approved mediation centers, their affiliate mediators, and other public and private mediators throughout the state.

Read the full press release at http://www.supremecourt.ne.gov/press/2010-releases/mediation-month.pdf.

Contact Debora Brownyard, Director, Office of Dispute Resolution, 402-471-2766, debora.brownyard@nebraska.gov.

Nominations Now Being Accepted for the Chief Justice's Annual Judicial Awards
September 10, 2010, is the deadline to nominate the judge of your choice for “Distinguished Judge for Improvement of the Judicial System” award or “Distinguished Judge for Service to the Community” award. Nomination forms on-line:

http://supremecourt.ne.gov/community/awards/distinguished-judge/index.shtml

The Chief Justice’s Distinguished Judges for 2009; Judge Michael Offner, Distinguished Judge for Improvement of the Judicial System, and Judge Robert C. Wester, Distinguished Judge for Service to the Community, have been added to the Distinguished Judge page on the Judicial Branch Web site under:  http://supremecourt.ne.gov/community/awards/distinguished-judge/winner-summary.shtml

Contact Janet Bancroft, Public Information Officer, 402-471-3205, janet.bancroft@nebraska.gov.

Back to top

Judicial Branch Education
New Web Site for Conference Registration
Judicial Branch Education (JBE) has begun the conversion to its new credit tracking and conference registration software.  All available live training, webinars, and online classes will be posted soon.  Judges and court staff may choose the training in which they want to participate and click the links that will connect to the registration and training sites.

Please visit the new registration site and watch for updates on courses within the coming weeks.  2010 credits are now being entered and individuals will soon be able to access transcripts and view credits much easier than ever before.  Credits for years prior to 2010 will continue to be tracked via Peopleware.  Anyone needing a transcript for credits earned prior to 2010 should contact JBE.

Click here to access the new site. For convenience, please save it as a favorite.  The link will soon be added to the JBE Web site.

Skilsoft Online Courses
Judicial Branch Education is entering into a new year of Skilsoft online training and will be administering the program somewhat differently.   Skilsoft is a catalogue of online courses ideal for learning computer skills associated with Word, Lotus, Outlook, and many other software programs.  These courses are available for credit.  The catalogue of courses is available on the JBE Web site.  Individuals interested in taking a course should consult with their clerk and submit the required form to JBE.  A license will be assigned to the court under the name of the clerk.  The employee using the license is encouraged to finish whatever course they are taking and then the license can be turned over to the clerk for reassignment to other employees in that court.

Clerks of the District Court
Online registration is open for the summer clerk’s meeting using the new Web site found at the link above.  Please make sure to register for each day so that JBE has an accurate count of those attending.  The passport training requires clerks to register for both the morning and afternoon sessions in order to give speakers an accurate count of attendees.  Your user name for the site is your email address.  Your password is the same as you used with Peopleware.  If you have forgotten, this program allows you to click a link and your password will be emailed.  Be sure to contact JBE if your password is not a nebraska.gov address. 

Contact Carole McMahon-Boies, Director, JBE, 402-471-3072, carole.mcmahon-boies@nebraska.gov.

Contact Alicia Guerra, Administrative Assistant, 402-471-3137, alicia.guerra@nebraska.gov.

Information Technology
Efiling and Epayment on Civil and Criminal Court Cases Available Statewide in Nebraska
For the past two years, the Nebraska Administrative Office of the Courts has coordinated a massive effort to institute the technology and training necessary to provide electronic court document filing for attorneys, as well as electronic court payments for citizens and businesses in every jurisdiction within the JUSTICE system. More than 800 attorneys have already signed up to file with the courts electronically. Since the initial pilot of the civil and criminal ePayments system in July of 2009, nearly $500,000 in fines and fees have been collected for the courts.

Read full press release: http://supremecourt.ne.gov/press/2010-releases/efiling-epayment.pdf

Problem-Solving Courts
The Administrative Office of the Courts/Probation is proud to announce the newest addition to the statewide system of Problem-Solving Courts: The North Central Adult Drug Court in Howard County.  A group of stakeholders with this new program recently attended training in Nashville, Tennessee, provided through a grant award by the Bureau of Justice Assistance and in collaboration with the National Drug Court Institute (NDCI).  This Drug Court Planning Initiative (DCPI) is designed to fulfill three interconnected goals:

1. Educating teams about the basic components of drug courts;
2. Providing teams with the skills necessary for successfully making the shift from standard case processing to drug court case processing; and
3. Working with teams to build their program to integrate court and treatment functions. (www.ndci.org)

A team of NDCI staff and a cadre of drug court practitioners worked with regional planning teams, including the North Central Adult Drug Court to develop their policy and procedure manual. Teams were familiarized with the building blocks of a drug court. Topics included, but were not limited to, team building, psychopharmacology, mission statements, goals and objectives, target populations, treatment, community supervision, drug testing, relapse, incentives and sanctions, confidentiality and ethics, evaluation/MIS, and sustainability.

While the North Central Adult Drug Court will be based in the Howard County District Court with primary oversight by the Hon. Karin Noakes, the goal is to eventually provide drug court services through the entire 8th Judicial District.  This has been accomplished through a strong commitment by stakeholders throughout the district.  The planning team in Nashville was comprised of committed stakeholders from the judiciary, probation, law enforcement, attorneys, and treatment.  With the additional training provided to the North Central team, identification of the program’s first participants has begun and the program will be up and running very soon.

Contact Scott Carlson, Statewide Coordinator of Problem-Solving Courts, 402-471-4415, scott.carlson@nebraska.gov.

Trial Court Services
Court Form Overhaul
Committees have been formed to review and update the forms provided for the district and county courts and court users.

District Court forms will be reviewed by the current District Court Procedures Manual Committee:  Clerks of District Court Marge Schaffer (Madison), Marlene Vetik (Platte), Joyce Wusk (Saline); Justice Business Analyst Paula Crouse, and Trial Court Services Director Sheryl Connolly.  District Judges Jodi Nelson, 3rd Judicial District, and David Urbom of the 11th Judicial District serve as judicial liasons to help ensure the legality and appropriateness of the forms.  The committee will meet via phone or Readitalk to review current forms and consider requests for additional forms from court staff and the public.   

Pro Se Forms Will Continue to be Developed by the Supreme Court Pro Se Forms SubCommittee:
Kate Mahern, Creighton;  Debora Brownyard, AOC; Sheryl Connolly, AOC; Judge Curt Maschman; Deanna Lubken, UNL; Jean McNeil, NSBA; Jen Gaughan, Legal Aid; Kevin Ruser, UNL; Judge Kurt Rager; Robert Sanford, Domestic Violence; Judge Richard Sievers; Judge Teresa Luther; Janet Bancroft, AOC.

County Court forms will be reviewed and updated by the new County Court Forms Committee:  Clerk Magistrates Cathy Reiman (Rock and Boyd), Kathy Jones (Hayes and Red Willow), Darrie Streeter (Phelps),  Lori Miskimins, (Dawes); Judicial Administrator Barb Pousson (Sarpy), and Trial Court Services Director Sheryl Connolly.  The Honorable Russell Harford (12th District) will serve as judicial liason to the committee.  Review of garnishment forms and development of instructions for the garnishment process are being spearheaded by Honorable Curtis Maschman (1st District) and Honorable Kurt Rager (6th District)   The forms committee will also consult with County Judges Association Criminal/Traffic and Probate/Civil committees as appropriate.
        
Thank you to the committee members for volunteering their time and energy to this important project.

Interpreter Services
The oral exam for interpreter certification will be held on April 16 and 17, 2010, in Lincoln.

On March 6 and 7, 2010, 23 interpreters attended orientation at UNL College of Law.  The attendees included speakers of Spanish, French, Vietnamese, Mandarin-Chinese, Russian, Burmese, and Somali.   Two skillsbuilding sessions were also provided in Omaha in March by independent trainers to assist interpreters in improving their skills and preparing for the oral exam.  The next orientation will be held September 11 and 12 in Omaha.  Please send contact information for potential interpreters to Sheryl Connolly and share the training and testing information with those who may be interested.

Contact Sheryl Connolly, Trial Court Services Director, 402-471-2671, sheryl.connolly@nebraska.gov.

Judicial Branch Revenue Fact Sheet Online
The quick reference sheet on County, District and Supreme Court fees, cash funds, and other collections is available for FY 2008 – 2009.  Judicial Branch Revenue Fact Sheet: http://www.supremecourt.ne.gov/community/adminreports/revenue-fact-sheet.pdf

Probation R.I.S.E. Specialist Chosen to Speak at the Governor’s Conference on Volunteerism
Charles Lieske, the R.I.S.E. (Rural Improvement for Schooling and Employment) Specialist for the Seward and York area, was recently chosen to present at the Governor’s upcoming conference on Volunteerism.  The R.I.S.E. program is made possible through AmeriCorps funding through ServeNebraska, who assists in coordinating this conference.  ServeNebraska sent out a call for papers, and Mr. Lieske responded.  He will be presenting a 90-minute presentation on resource development and relationship building, one of the targeted areas identified by ServeNebraska in their original call for papers.  The conference is scheduled for April 8-9, 2010, and will take place in Omaha.

Mr. Lieske, a native Nebraskan, earned his Bachelor of Arts in Philosophy from Nebraska Wesleyan in 1995, and has begun work on his Master’s in Public Administration at UNO.  He has worked with schools and churches in Lincoln and surrounding communities.  He is a certified Mediator, affiliated with the Mediation Center of Lincoln and the Lancaster County Juvenile Victim Offender Mediation (LCJVOM) project.

R.I.S.E., a program for offenders, currently exists in 9 of the 12 probation districts.  This program requires participants to attend group education sessions where they work on skills such as creating resumes and interviewing, as well as applying for colleges and success in the classroom.  There is also a juvenile-specific program that focuses on school success for at-risk youth. 

Contact Kari Rumbaugh, Deputy Interstate Compact Administrator, 402-471-2855, kari.rumbaugh@nebraska.gov.

Nebraska Probation Program Specialist Toni Ahrendt Selected to Attend National Social Work Congress
Office of Probation Administration Domestic Violence Program's Service Specialist, Toni G. Ahrendt, has been chosen to attend the National Social Work Congress in Washington, D.C., April 22-23, 2010.  Selected as one of 30 emerging national leaders under 30 years of age, Ahrendt will participate along with another group of accomplished social workers between the ages of 31 and 45.

Read the full release: http://www.supremecourt.ne.gov/press/2010-releases/ahrendt.pdf

Back to top

New Payroll Web Site for State Employees
Please practice logging into the state’s new Web site for payroll: http://EDGE.NE.GOV in preparation for insurance open enrollment beginning April 19, 2010. (This site has replaced the State’s former NIS Web site.)

As with the old site, EDGE.NE.GOV will allow you to print your paystub, check your leave balances, check your W4, check your paycheck direct deposits, and other benefits-related information.

Instructions are:

• Enter http://EDGE.NE.GOV (do not enter www) into your internet address bar. 
• Click the Sign Onto EnterpriseOne button in the upper left-hand corner.
• Use your existing NIS User ID and Password. 

If you have any questions, please contact your respective HR contact person:

Probation Employees:                   
Jacki Allensworth, jacki.allensworth@nebraska.gov (402-471-2751) or
Thelma Smith, thelma.smith@nebraska.gov (402-471-3573)

Judges, Court Reporters, Appellate Court Employees:         
Kathy Moore, kathy.s.moore@nebraska.gov (402-471-4428)

County Court Employees:             
Eileen Janssen, eileen.janssen@nebraska.gov (402-471-4427)

Back to top

Memorial Service Set for Former Supreme Court Justice John T. Grant in Nebraska Supreme Court Chambers
A memorial service will be held Wednesday, April 28, 2010, 2:00 p.m. in the Supreme Court Chambers of the State Capitol, Lincoln, Nebraska, for former Supreme Court Justice John T. Grant. Judge Grant, who served as a justice of the Nebraska Supreme Court from 1983 to 1993, was living in Omaha at the time of his death, January 26, 2010. 

Justice Grant was appointed to the Nebraska Supreme Court in 1983, replacing retiring Judge Hale McCowan. Prior to his service on the Supreme Court, Grant served as district judge in Douglas County beginning in May 1974.  He was a lawyer in private practice from 1950 to 1974 and Omaha Bar Association president in 1974.

Former Chief Justice C. Thomas White, Omaha, is chairman of the Memorial Service Committee for the late Justice Grant.  Among those paying tribute are former Supreme Court Chief Justice William C. Hastings; former Supreme Court Justice D. Nick Caporale; Former District Judge Ron Reagan, and J.P. Grant, son of Justice John Grant.     

Members of the public are invited to attend.  The memorial can be viewed live online at Nebraska Educational Television's Web site: netnebraska.org/publicmedia/capitol as part of its regular Supreme Court session coverage.  Later viewing is also available through the court session archive on the Judicial Branch Web site: www.supremecourt.ne.gov under “View Oral Arguments Live.”

Judge Vampola Appointed to U.S. Commission
Dodge County Court Judge Kenneth Vampola is one of 11 people appointed to the Nebraska Advisory Committee to the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights. There are 51 such committees in the U.S. — one in each state and one in Washington, D.C .   Appointments to the committee are for two years.  "Our job is to monitor civil rights issues within our own geographical areas and then to meet periodically and report any concerns. — and hopefully some successes — in the areas of civil rights," Vampola said.  (March 4, 2010  Fremont Tribune)

New Court Personnel
Kim Stefka, Court Reporter, 8th Judicial District, effective April 1, 2010.
Amanda Hussey, Records Clerk, Lancaster County Court, effective March 1, 2010.
Ashley Hodge, Records Clerk, Lancaster County court, effective March 15, 2010.

New Probation Personnel
Jennifer Finigan, Reporting Center Coordinator, District #4A, Omaha, effective March 1, 2010.
Marlene Walker, Office Manager, District #3J, Lincoln Juvenile, effective March 1, 2010.
Courtney Johnston, Probation Officer, District #12, Gering, effective March 8, 2010.
Julie McGargill, Probation Officer, District #4A, Omaha, effective March 15, 2010.
Amoreena Brady, Specialized Substance Abuse Supervision officer, District #2, Bellevue and Nebraska City, effective April 1, 2010.
Janessa Finley, Problem-Solving Court Probation Officer, District #7, Norfolk, effective April 12, 2010.

Back to top

Nebraska Minority Justice Committee to Re-Assess Court and Probation Employee’s Perceptions of Fairness
In 2002, the Nebraska Minority Justice Committee surveyed all Nebraska court employees and probation officers as part of their effort to examine issues of racial and ethnic fairness in the courts. In the upcoming weeks, the Committee will be re-administering a condensed version of the survey to examine the extent to which attitudes and perceptions have changed since 2002. The survey will be sent to each court employee and probation officer on April 5, 2010. The survey will take approximately 10 minutes to complete. All answers will be treated confidentially and only the research staff will see the raw data. Your participation in this survey is appreciated and strongly encouraged. Thank you in advance for your participation.

Contact Liz Neeley, Project Director, 402-475-7091, lneeley@nebar.com.

Back to top

Rule Changes/Additions --
Rules of the District Court of the Fifth Judicial District (approved March 10, 2010)
View all rule amendments within the past 90 days: http://www.supremecourt.ne.gov/rules/index.shtml

Judicial Financial Interest Statements -- Due May 1st
A link to the online Judicial Financial Interest Statement was sent to all judges, full-time clerk magistrates, and child support referees in January.  The form is also available in a “fill-in” format on the Judicial Branch Web site at http://supremecourt.ne.gov/forms/JFIS.pdf.  The statement is for the year ending December 31, 2009.  As per the request of the Supreme Court Clerk’s Office, forms are to be returned to Marcie Luhman in the State Court Administrator's office.  All forms will be collected and submitted to the Clerk for filing prior to the May 1, 2010, deadline.

Contact Marcie Luhman, Administrative Assistant, 402-471-2249, marcie.luhman@nebraska.gov.

Poverty Guidelines/Child Support Guidelines
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has extended the 2009 poverty guidelines (which are used to amend our child support guidelines) until at least March 31, 2010.  An explanation can be found on their Web site:

http://aspe.hhs.gov/poverty/09extension.shtml

The current guidelines will remain in effect until further notice.

http://www.supremecourt.ne.gov/rules/pdf/Ch4Art2.pdf

Forms for Temporary Delegation of Parental Powers Emailed to School Administrators
Understanding that it is often cost prohibitive for parents to request the assistance of an attorney each time they leave their children in the care of a relative or friend, the Nebraska Supreme Court’s Committee on Pro Se (self-help) Litigation developed a free Temporary Delegation of Parental Powers form with instructions.  School administrators across the state have recently been emailed a link to the form in order to raise awareness of this service.  Some schools have developed their own power-of-attorney forms; the Pro Se Committee is available for those who have not.

Link to full press release: http://supremecourt.ne.gov/press/2010-releases/forms-temp-del-parent-powers.pdf

Link to form and instructions: http://www.supremecourt.ne.gov/forms/district/instructions-temp-delegation-powers.shtml

Back to top

April 30	Arbor Day
May 1-8	Law Day, events to be celebrated nationally
May 4	Law Day Ceremony, Lincoln, Nebraska Supreme Court
May 31	Memorial Day
July 5	Independence Day
September 6	Labor Day
October 11	Columbus Day
November 11	Veteran's Day
November 25-26	Thanksgiving and Friday following
December 24	Christmas

Filing and Reporting Requirements

• Statement for Payment of Interpreters: Interpreters to submit this between the 1st and 7th day of each month.
• Judges’ Cases Under Advisement Reports: Due by the 5th day of each month (reports are compiled and submitted to the Supreme Court).
• Court Reporter Timesheets: Due by the 5th day of each month (judges are to sign time sheets prior to submission).
• Permanently Assigned Vehicle Logs: Due by the 5th day of each month.
• Report of Probate Cases Pending: Due by the 10th day of each month.
• County Court Time Sheets: Due by the 10th day of each month.
• Stenographer Transcription Reports: Due by the 10th day of each month.
• Expense Vouchers: Submit on a monthly basis (rather than combining several months of expenses on one voucher).

Back to top

Judges Filing For Retention Use Online Application
The Secretary of State’s Judicial Office Holder Retention Application form has been updated with 2010 dates.  Those judges filing for retention must do so by August 1, 2010.  Completed forms are to be returned directly to the Secretary of State where they are officially filed and will be uploaded to their Web site.
               
Secretary of State Fill-in Application: http://www.sos.ne.gov/elec/pdf/judicial%20filing.pdf

Secretary of State - Elections Division
Mailing Address: P.O. Box 94608, Lincoln, NE 68509-4608
Location: State Capitol, Third Floor
Send email to: Elections  (sos.elect@nebraska.gov)

Link to the Secretary of State’s Web page ‘2010 Judicial Candidate List for retention in office’: http://www.sos.state.ne.us/elec/2010/pdf/judicial%20list.pdf
(Listing of judges who have filed for retention election in 2010)

Contact Janet Bancroft, Public Information Officer, 402-471-3205, janet.bancroft@nebraska.gov.

Publication Ordering Available Online
Court staff may order publications from the Administrative Office of the Courts and Probation (AOC/P) online at www.nebraska.gov/courts/ordering/order.cgi. The AOC/P’s most frequently ordered publications are available through the online order form. The selection includes jury brochures, small claims guides, parenting act booklets, the Citizen's Guide to Nebraska's Courts, judge’s adoption cards, and AOC court staff timecards.

Back to top