Welcome, New State Senators
On December 10, 2012, the Chief Justice and several members of the Supreme Court welcomed new state senators with a brief orientation and tour of the Supreme Court courtroom.  Senators were encouraged to participate in the Legislative-Judicial Visit program, which is geared toward new senators who were elected in November. The purpose of the program is to give new legislative members an experiential understanding of the volume, complexity, variety and difficulty of work of the trial courts. Each of the new senators is invited to spend a morning with a host judge, which generally includes a briefing in chambers, a morning observing court proceedings, and lunch with criminal justice representatives from the area.

The 2013 judge/senator pairings are:

Hon. Tom Otepka & Hon. Susan Bazis – Sara Howard, District 9; Ernie Chambers, District 11; Rick Kolowski, District 31
Hon. John Colborn – Kate Boltz, District 29
Hon. Todd Hutton – Sue Crawford, District 45; John Murante, District 49
Hon. Randall Rehmeier – Dan Watermeier, District 1; Bill Kintner, District 2  
Hon. James Kube – Jim Scheer, District 19
Hon. Mary Gilbride – Jerry Johnson, District 23
Hon. Travis O’Gorman – Al Davis, District 43

Thanks to all judges and court staff who participate in this valuable outreach program.

 

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Distinguished Judge Awards Presented to Workers’ Compensation Court Judge Laureen Van Norman and Red Willow County Court Judge Anne Paine
Two Nebraska Judges were presented with the Supreme Court’s highest honor of the Judicial Branch. Workers’ Compensation Court Judge Laureen Van Norman was given the Service to the Community Award and Red Willow County Court Judge Anne Paine was given the Service to the Judiciary Award by Chief Justice Mike Heavican.

The awards, designed to recognize members of the judiciary for meritorious projects and exemplary accomplishments, were presented Wednesday, October 24, 2012, in Omaha, Nebraska.

Read full press release.

Photo: Judge Anne Paine, Chief Justice Mike Heavican, Judge Laureen Van Norman

Exceptional Judicial Branch Employees Recognized by Chief Justice Heavican During Annual Awards Celebration
Chief Justice of the Nebraska Supreme Court, Mike Heavican, presented nine Employee Recognition Awards to individuals and teams on October 5, 2012, during the Nebraska Supreme Court’s fourth annual recognition event.

The Employee Recognition Committee selected nine employees and an employee team from the nominations submitted for the Employee Recognition Awards. Candidates for the awards were chosen and nominated by their supervisors and colleagues in the courts and probation offices where they work. The purpose of the program is to provide a tool to recognize ongoing court and probation employee dedication, acknowledge exemplary contributions, and encourage employee commitment.

Read full press release.

Photo: 2012 Employee of the Year, Ellen Faltys, Clerk Magistrate, Colfax County.


Two New Spanish Language Interpreters Take Oath
Terri Doolittle of Wichita, Kansas, and Vladimir Bazan of Lincoln, Nebraska, were sworn in as certified Spanish Language Court Interpreters December 6, 2012, in the Supreme Court Courtroom in the Capitol.  Supreme Court Justice William B. Cassel, Chairperson of the Nebraska Court Interpreter Advisory Committee, presided over the swearing-in ceremony. Click to read full press release.

Photo: Justice Cassel administers the Intererpreter Oath to Vladimir Bazan and Terri Doolittle.

National Adoption Day
Adoption Saturday is a national event that the Douglas County Juvenile Court has organized for 13 consecutive years. Its purpose is to attract media attention to the need for more foster and adoptive homes for children in child welfare systems across the country.

Since Nebraska’s inaugural celebration in 1999, several other courts have joined the awareness campaign including: Grand Island, Fremont/Dakota City/Columbus, Hastings, Kearney, Norfolk, Lincoln, Scottsbluff/Gering, and North Platte. 

Read about Nebraska’s 2012 Adoption Day celebrations in the Judicial Branch Special Events Newsletter.

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Rights Advisement Created for County Courts
All County Court Judges who did not attend the fall judges meeting in Omaha have been sent a DVD with the Spanish Language Rights Advisement. Additional copies are available through the Office of the State Court Administrator.

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

Judicial Branch Education
Training Opportunities
Click here to view upcoming JBE-sponsored education opportunities. (Click on "calendar" located next to "search for courses".)   Online registration is currently open for the following education opportunities:

Court

• 2013 Upcoming Webinars (Distance Education)
  • January 25 – JUSTICE Updates
• 2013 Meetings & Conferences
  • April 8, 2013 – Appellate Court’s Spring Education Meeting, Location TBD
  • June 5, 2013 – District Judges’ Summer Education Meeting, Mahoney State Park
  • June 26, 2013 – County Judges’ Summer Education Meeting, Lied Lodge Conference Center
  • October 2-4, 2013 – Judges’ Fall Education Meeting, Omaha
  • JUSTICE Training for 2013 (see dates below)

Probation

• January 7-11 -- Week 1, New Probation Officer Training, Lincoln
• January 14-18 -- Week 2, New Probation Officer Training, Lincoln
• January 28-February 1 – Week 3, New Probation Officer Training, Lincoln
• February 4-7 – Breaking Barriers Training, Lincoln.  Registration deadline:  January 23, 2013.
• February 11-15 – Week 4, New Probation Officer Training, Lincoln
• February 20-22 – Moral Reconation Therapy (MRT) Training, Lincoln.  Registration deadline:  February 6, 2013.
• February 25-March 1 – Week 5, New Probation Officer Training, Lincoln.
• February 26-March 1 – Case/Caseload Management Training, Lincoln.   Registration deadline:  February 12, 2013.
• March 4-8 – Week 6, New Probation Officer Training, Lincoln.
• March 11-15 – Support Staff Training, Lincoln.  Registration deadline:  February 27, 2013.
• March 18-22 – Training for Trainers, location to be announced.
• March 26-27 – Drug Technician Training, location to be announced.  Registration deadline:  March 13, 2013.

JUSTICE Training
Court staff can see all training dates set for 2013 on the “Calendar of Live Education” events on the JBE online registration Web site or from the link on this Web page: http://www.supremecourt.ne.gov/jbe/jbe-ed-programs.shtm.  There is a minimum of three attendees and a maximum of six attendees at each session.  Training will not be scheduled if there are fewer than three registered participants for a session. Online registration will close two weeks prior to the training.

County Court
January 14-18, Lincoln or Omaha; registration deadline: December 28, 2012
February 25-March 1, North Platte; registration deadline: February 8, 2013

District Court
January 8-10, Lincoln or Omaha; registration deadline: December 24, 2012
February 12-14, North Platte; registration deadline: January 28, 2013

JBE Staff
Carole McMahon-Boies, Director, 402-471-3072, carole.mcmahon-boies@nebraska.gov
Jerid Wedige, Probation Education Manager, 402-471-4486, jerid.wedige@nebraska.gov
Alicia Guerra, Continuing Education Specialist, 402-471-0275, alicia.guerra@nebraska.gov
Diona Hartwig, Online Education Technician, 402-471-0005, diona.hartwig@nebraska.gov


Court Bench Book

• Child Support Calculator 2012 version (contact Janet Bancroft for password)

 

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Information Regarding Courthouse and Office Closings
Nebraska Statute 25-2221 was amended in 2011, as highlighted below, to say:  All courts and their offices may be closed on Saturdays, Sundays, days on which a specifically designated court is closed by order of the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, and these holidays: New Year's Day, January 1; Birthday of Martin Luther King, Jr., the third Monday in January; President's Day, the third Monday in February; Arbor Day, the last Friday in April; Memorial Day, the last Monday in May; Independence Day, July 4; Labor Day, the first Monday in September; Columbus Day, the second Monday in October; Veterans Day, November 11; Thanksgiving Day, the fourth Thursday in November; the day after Thanksgiving; Christmas Day, December 25; and all days declared by law or proclamation of the Governor to be holidays. Such days shall be designated as nonjudicial days. If any such holiday falls on Sunday, the following Monday shall be a holiday. If any such holiday falls on Saturday, the preceding Friday shall be a holiday. Court services shall be available on all other days. If the date designated by the state for observance of any legal holiday pursuant to this section, except Veterans Day, is different from the date of observance of such holiday pursuant to a federal holiday schedule, the federal holiday schedule shall be observed.

On days when courthouses and  county offices are closed due to special circumstances such as a local holiday, court services must still be available.  This can be accomplished by posting a notice on the courthouse door giving the public a way to contact a court employee by phone, giving the contact number on the court’s voicemail message, or by forwarding all calls to a designated employee who shall remain on call. If the court maintains a website, notice should be posted on that site.  Whenever possible, notice should be given to the local bar and the public in advance of the courthouse closing.

Mileage Rate to Increase
Effective January 1, 2013, the mileage rate will increase to .565/mile.

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County Court Staff Recognized
The efforts of county court staff were recognized in an article regarding the implementation of the Court’s new guardianship/conservatorship rules.   Read the thank you to county courts in the Nebraska Lawyer magazine in the November/December issue: http://www.nebar.com/associations/8143/files/TNL-1112j.pdf

Visek Appointed as Chief
Mary C. Visek was appointed Chief Probation Officer for the Separate Juvenile Court of Douglas County/Probation District 4J, effective December 1, 2012.

Photo: Mary Visek taking the Oath from Judge Daniels.

Upcoming Judicial Retirements
To read the press release, click each name.

Gerald E. Rouse, County Court, 5th Judicial District, December 31, 2012.
Carlton E. Clark, County Court, 11th Judicial District, January 1, 2013.
Richard W. Krepela, County Court, 7th Judicial District, January 3, 2013.

New Court Personnel
Lisa M. Abraham, Cashier, Douglas County Court, effective October 15, 2012.
Michele Woods, Clerk Magistrate, Kimball County Court, effective October 22, 2012.
James S. Price, Courtroom Clerk, Douglas County Court, effective October 29, 2012.
Lynn M. Fricke, Cashier, Lancaster County Court, effective November 26, 2012.
Loraine Perez, Records Clerk, Lancaster County Court, effective December 3, 2012.
Raul Escobar, State Court Interpreter Coordinator, Lincoln, effective December 3, 2012.
Adriana Hinojosa, State Court Interpreter Coordinator, Omaha, effective December 3, 2012.
Selena Willkomm, Records Clerk, Lancaster County Court, effective December 17, 2012.

New Probation Personnel
Chelsea Guiffre, Rural Improvement for Schooling & Employment (RISE) Specialist, District #1, Beatrice, effective October 1, 2012.
Drew Taft, District Data Analyst, Districts #5, #8, #9, #10, Columbus, O’Neill, Grand Island, Hastings, effective October 12, 2012.
Quintus Hampton, Treatment Probation Officer, District #4J, Omaha Juvenile, effective October 29, 2012.
Linda Lyon Black, Rural Improvement for Schooling & Employment (RISE) Specialist District #12, Gering, effective November 2, 2012.
Kimberly Wimberly, part-time Rural Improvement for Schooling & Employment (RISE) Specialist, District #5, Seward/York, effective November 7, 2012.
Traci Kindig, Probation Officer Trainee, District #4A, Omaha, effective December 10, 2012.
Michelle Meyer, Probation Officer Trainee, District #4A, Omaha, effective December 10, 2012.
Rebecca Sindelar, Probation Officer Trainee, District #5, Schuyler, effective December 17, 2012.
Gail McCoy, Juvenile Justice Quality Compliance Reviewer, Office of Probation Administration, effective December 17, 2012.
Melissa Almond, Specialized Substance Abuse Supervision (SSAS) probation officer, District #9, Grand Island, effective December 17, 2012.
Bonnie Willey, District Data Analyst, Districts #2 and #4J, Papillion and Omaha Juvenile, effective January 1, 2013.
Megan Wobig, Probation Officer Trainee, District #9, Kearney, effective January 2, 2013.
Brian Luera, Probation Officer Trainee, District #1, Beatrice, effective January 2, 2013.

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Judges Associations Elect New Officers
Nebraska District Judges Association, 2012-2013
Teresa K. Luther, President
Steven D. Burns, President-Elect
Peter C. Batallion, Secretary/Treasurer

Full listing of association members

Nebraska County Judges Association, 2012-2013
Susan M. Bazis, President
Laurie J. Yardley, Vice-President
Jeffrey J. Funke, Secretary
Linda S. Caster Senff, Treasurer

Full listing of association members

Nebraska Separate Juvenile Court Judges, 2012-2013
Vernon Daniels, President

Full listing of association members

Pro Se Forms Committee
Revised forms for a name change for a minor child have been uploaded to the Online Legal Self-Help Center. [http://court.nol.org/self-help/index.html or find the site through the Judicial Branch website.]

The change includes a “Confidential Information” form that meets the requirements of both Neb. Rev. Stat. § 25-21,271 and Neb. Ct. R. § 6-1521.  For Clerks who report this information to outside entities, the statute does not differentiate between adults and minors and “any name-change order issued by the court” shall be forwarded to the Department of Health and Human Services and the sex offender registration and community notification division of the Nebraska State Patrol under Neb. Rev. Stat. § 25-21,271(4) (emphasis added).

Ex Parte Domestic Abuse Protection order (DC 19:10) has been edited to include language from the Harassment Protection Order (DC 19:4) regarding returning the request for hearing form within 5 days (below).
Forms are online under the protection order category.

The Ex Parte Domestic Abuse Protection order (DC 19:10) has been corrected to include language regarding returning the Request for Hearing form within 5 days of service.  Be sure to reprint forms from the website for the most current version. Forms are online under the protection order category.

Pro Se Committee
Norfolk and Kearney Add Self-Help Desks
Two new Self-Help Centers join desks in Lincoln, Omaha, and the Grand Island area.  The Norfolk (Madison County) Self-Helf Desk is open the third Friday of the month from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. The Self-Help Desk is located on the north side of the Courthouse, 1313 North Main Street in Madison. Individuals needing assistance should check-in with the Clerk of the District Court’s Office (first office at the courthouse entrance).

A branch of the Tri-City Self-Help Desk in now open in Kearney on the first Friday of the month from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. The desk is located in the Buffalo County Courthouse, 1512 Central Avenue in Kearney. Individuals needing assistance should check-in with the Clerk of the District Court’s Office, window #4. Neither desk accepts appointments and individuals are offered assistance on a first-come, first-served basis.

Minority Justice Committee
Nebraska’s MJC Achieves Unparalleled Record
The Nebraska Minority Justice Committee was recently honored to host the 24th Annual Conference of the National Consortium on Racial and Ethnic Fairness in the Courts which was held at the downtown Omaha Hilton May 9-12, 2012. Co-Chairs Judge John Irwin and Linda Crump reported that Nebraska set the all-time attendance record for the conference with over 360 attendees representing 37 states and the District of Columbia.

Photos and article Nebraska Lawyer Magazine: http://nebar.com/associations/8143/files/TNL-0912f.pdf

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Supreme Court Opinion Release
There will be no appellate court opinions released the week of December 24, 2012, due to the back-to-back shortened workweeks. Releases are planned for the following week December 31, 2012, for Court of Appeals and January 4, 2013, for Supreme Court.

Proposed Rule Amendments For Comment:
Neb. Ct. R. §§ 6-101 through 6-103
District court and county court Case Management committees recommendations for amendments to  Nebraska trial court case progression standards
(Comment period ends February 1, 2013)

Rule Amendments (made within the last 90 days)
Neb. Ct. R. §§ 3-401.5, 3-401.7, and 3-401.12 (Mandatory Continuing Legal Education for Lawyers)
Exemptions, Standards and Reinstatements regarding CLE requirements for Lawyers (adopted October 17, 2012)

Guidelines for Guardians ad Litem for Juveniles in Juvenile Court Proceedings
Report of Guardian Ad Litem - Guidelines for Guardians ad Litem for Juveniles in Juvenile Court Proceedings and Appendix 1.
(adopted November 21, 2012)

Neb. Ct. R. § 1-601 (Judicial Nominating Commissions)
Judicial Application Process
(adopted November 14, 2012)

Neb. Ct. R. § 6-1442 (Uniform County Court Rules of Practice and Procedure)
Guardian Conservator exception for juvenile court guardians
(adopted October 17, 2012)

Nebraska Worker's Compensation Court adjudicatory rules, Rules 2 and 3
Workers Compensation Court filing and efiling
(approved September 26, 2012)

Neb. Ct. R. §§ 3-101 to 3-116 (Admission Requirements for the Practice of Law)
Admission Requirements for Practice of Law in Nebraska
(adopted January 11, 2012, effective January 1, 2013)

Mileage Reimbursement Rate to Increase
Effective January 1, 2013, mileage reimbursement for judges and employees of the Nebraska Supreme Court shall increase from 51 cents per mile to 56.5 cents per mile.

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2013 (holidays in red)
January 1	New Year's Day
January 21	Martin Luther King, Jr. Day
February 18	Presidents' Day
April 26	Arbor Day
May 27	Memorial Day
June 5 - 7	District Judges’ Meeting
June 26 - 28	County Judges’ Meeting
July 4	Independence Day
September 2	Labor Day
October 2 - 4	Fall Judges’ Meeting
October 14	Columbus Day
November 11	Veterans' Day
November 28 - 29	Thanksgiving and Friday following
December 25	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.
• 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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