Chief Justice Heavican’s Memorandum
On May 18, 2011, the Chief Justice sent all employees a memorandum pertaining to the Legislature’s action regarding the budget of the Judicial Branch.  To read the full memorandum, click here.

New Legislation Education
Education on this year’s legislative changes will be provided via Webinar through the Judicial Branch Education Office at noon on the following days:

• June 14: Court Staff presented by JBE, Trial Court Services, JUSTICE
• July 15: District Court Judges presented by Judge Bob Steinke
• July 18: County Court Judges presented by Judge Steve Timm

Links to the sessions will be emailed prior to the sessions.  Call Alicia Guerra, 402-471-0275, with questions regarding the process.

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Law Day Job Shadowing Reaches Out to 5th Graders for 10th Year
Encourages Students to Work Hard and Stay in School
Since 2003, judges and other court personnel have been serving in the roles of local coordinators for statewide Law Day Job Shadowing, a program by the Bar Foundation and the Nebraska Supreme Court. 

This year, Job Shadowing activities took place at courthouses and law firms in Chappell, Kearney, Kimball, Neligh, O'Neill, Pawnee City, Stanton, Wayne, Wilber, and Winnebago.  The Bar Foundation sincerely thanks the dedicated local coordinators and the lawyers and judges who host the students.  It is estimated that more than 3,000 students have taken part in the program.

Each year PEOPLE Committee staff are privileged to make site visits to communities participating in the Job Shadowing program.

This year visits were made to Judge Taylor in Stanton and Judge Brodbeck in O'Neill.  Judge Taylor hosted grade school students; Judge Brodbeck extended his invitation to mentoring students from the Santee tribe.

Click here to view photos of Stanton.

Click here to view photos of O'Neill. 

(Photo: Pawnee County Clerk Magistrate LaRita Weber prepares treats for 5th Graders)

Law Day Essay Contest Winners Honored
8th - 12th Grade Writers Recognized
The Bar Foundation and the Nebraska Supreme Court honored the winners of the 12th Annual Law Day Essay Contest at a recognition luncheon in Lincoln on May 2, 2011. 

The winning writers all agreed that the Nebraska Legislature should take some type of action to protect students from cyberbullying.  Most acknowledged the seriousness of cyberbullying by referring to student suicides which have occurred as a result of the student being bullied. One writer referenced a personal experience of being cyberbullied, while another stated, "there needs to be a way to create an environment where students feel safe to speak up about bullying."

2011 contest winners:

Grade 8, Makala Michka, Stuart Public School  
Grade 9, Addie Curley, Omaha Marian High School   
Grade 10, Holly Green, Grand Island Northwest High School
Grade 11, Yan (Cassie) Jia, Omaha Westside High School
Grade 12, Erik Prieto, Lyons-Decatur Northeast

Click here to see more Law Day photos on the Foundation's web site.

(Photo: Contest Winners with Chief Justice Heavican and Kile Johnson)

Reunification Day Planning Celebrations Begin
The American Bar Association (ABA) set Mother's Day (May 8) through Father's Day (June 19) as the dates for National Reunification Day celebrations.

Last year, several Nebraska ‘Eyes of a Child’ initiative teams hosted Reunification Days in their communities.  The 2011 National Reunification Day celebration list for Nebraska is:

• Omaha, June 4, 2011
• Lincoln, June 18, 2011
• York, June 16, 2011
• Hastings, TBA

There is additional information on the ABA website: http://www.americanbar.org/groups/child_law/projects_initiatives/nrd.html. 

A note on reunification numbers:  According to Department of Health and Human Services statistical reports, of all youth discharged from DHHS custody from May 1, 2010 through April 30, 2011:

• 66.3% were reunified with their families
• 11.4% were adopted
• 8.6% had a guardianship established
• 9.6% moved out on their own
• 4.1% Other Discharge Reasons, i.e., AWOL; adult system, etc.

Please contact Janet Bancroft or Kelli Hauptman if you are planning to host a celebration in your community.

(Photo: Judge Chris Kelly, Omaha Mayor Jim Suttle, and Judge Doug Johnson at Omaha Reunification Day.)

Recipients of the Court Call for the Supreme Court and Court of Appeals
The Nebraska Judicial System is using a new delivery method for the Court Calls, Opinions, Press Releases, and other items housed on our Web page. Individuals who sign up for services through “Gov.delivery” will have email alerts sent directly to their email boxes.  (RSS is still available for Opinions and Rules if you wish to maintain that service.)

Please take a moment to register for automatic delivery at: https://public.govdelivery.com/accounts/NECOURTS/subscriber/new
or, go to the front of the Web page and click on the yellow map of Nebraska at the bottom right of the front page titled “Subscriber Alerts.”

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Judicial Branch Education
DUI Education Session for Judges
Registration has begun for the Judges’ DUI education session in Omaha, August 1 - 2, 2011.  Omaha’s newest downtown hotel will be the venue for the two-day conference for all Nebraska judges. 

The conference is taught through the National Judicial College and is fully grant funded.  Click here to register on the JBE Web site or send the JBE registration form received in the mail.

New Office Location for JBE/MCLE


On June 1, 2011, Judicial Branch Education and the MCLE Commission moved their offices above the reading room in the back of the State Library in the Capitol.  Through the efforts of the State Capitol Commission, the space was skillfully converted from storage to offices.   Click here for photos of the JBE/MCLE Open House. 


New Contact Information:

Nebraska MCLE Commission
P. O. Box 98910, Lincoln, NE 68509-8910
402-471-0728 (fax)
402-471-3137 (help desk)
nsc.mcle@nebraska.gov (email)

Nebraska Judicial Branch Education
State Capitol Building, Supreme Court Library, 3rd Floor (physical location)
P. O. Box 98910, Lincoln, NE 68509 (mailing address)
402-471-0275 (phone)
402-471-0728 (fax)

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

Contact Alicia Guerra, Administrative Assistant, 402-471-0275, alicia.guerra@nebraska.gov.

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New Judges Begin Service
Judge Paul J. Vaughan, District Court, 6th Judicial District, Dakota City, took his oath of office on June 10, 2011. Click here to read his Judicial Profile.

Judge Michael P. Burns, County Court, 10th Judicial District, Hastings, will take his oath of office June 30, 2011. Click here to read his Judicial Profile.

Upcoming Retirements
The following judges have announced their upcoming retirements:

Hon. Jeffre Cheuvront, District Court, 3rd Judicial District, July 31, 2011.
Hon. John P. Murphy, District Court, 11th Judicial District, August 31, 2011.
Hon. John D. Hartigan, District Court, 4th Judicial District, August 31, 2011.
Hon. Charles Plantz, County Court, 12th Judicial District, December 31, 2011.

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Judicial Ethics Committee Releases Opinion
The Judicial Ethics Committee has issued Opinion 11-2 in response to the following question:

"May a judge serve as an ex officio member of the board of directors for the National Safety Council Greater Omaha Chapter provided that the judge’s name does not appear on any documents for fundraising purposes?"

Click here to read the opinion.

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Guardianship Rules Open for Public Comment
The newly proposed guardianship rules are now open for public comment and can be read >here.  Court staff and judges are asked to assist in the process by commenting and circulating the request to lawyers/guardians who may wish to contribute.  The comment deadline is August 1, 2011.

These proposed amendments to the Nebraska Supreme Court’s Uniform County Court Rules of Practice and Procedure are the result of a study conducted by the 2010 Supreme Court Review Committee on Adult Guardianships and Conservatorships and are intended to reflect new statutory provisions of LB 157, which was signed into law by Governor Heineman on February 22, 2011, with an effective date of January 1, 2012. The rule amendments as proposed and submitted to the Supreme Court were drafted by a committee of Nebraska county court judges consisting of Hon. Susan Bazis, Hon. Curtis H. Evans, and Hon. Todd J. Hutton.

Four New Forms/Instruction Added to Online Self-Help Center
New under the Court Records tab (http://www.supremecourt.ne.gov/self-help/#courtrec) are:

• Adoption Records Request (forms only)
• Motion to Set Aside Criminal Conviction (forms and instructions)
• New under the General Trial Court tab (http://www.supremecourt.ne.gov/self-help/#general) are:
  • Motion to Dismiss a Court Action (forms and instructions)
  • Request for Continuance (forms and instructions)

These forms are intended to solve problems for both the clerks’ offices and the public.  Please email Janet Bancroft (janet.bancroft@nebraska.gov) right away if there are problems with any of the forms/information.

Mileage Reimbursement Rate to Increase
Effective July 1, 2011, mileage reimbursement for judges and employees of the Nebraska Supreme Court shall increase from 48.5 cents per mile to 51 cents per mile.

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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.
• Stenographer Transcription Reports: Due by the 10th 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.
• Expense Vouchers: Submit on a monthly basis (rather than combining several months of expenses on one voucher).

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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.

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