Royce Gonzales excels not only in his role for the county, but also as Clerk of the District Court in Nuckolls County and President of the Central District Clerks Association. He aids his courthouse’s IT team and makes sure he is available to fellow clerks should questions arise. Additionally, he serves on numerous Supreme Court committees and is available to give valuable advice and feedback to his colleagues. Gonzales’ personality, kindness, and great sense of humor helped ease the stress experienced by court staff during the past two turbulent years.

The 2022 Summer Tour will take the Chief Justice, key court staff, and select judges and justices to the northwestern portion of the state in mid-August in conjunction with the Nebraska Consortium of Tribal, State, and Federal Courts’ public engagement sessions.  The Chief Justice and members of the Court devote several days each summer to traveling outside the Lincoln area to meet with judges, court, and probation staff and to observe local programs and services.

The Platte County District Court staff, led by Clerk of the District Court Marlene Vetick (3rd from left) with Laurie Sloup, Lori Micek, Dawn Samsel, Kelli Scheffler, and Sandra Janssen, were the consummate hosts for the change of venue trial of State v. Felipe Vazquez. Staff of the Clerk of the District Court spent hours working with the visiting court staff from Lancaster County, reviewing facilities and finding space for the trial.  They also worked with the technology team to set up Zoom for the hearing and manage space for visiting media.

Payton Hogan, joins Your Nebraska Judicial Branch to reflect on his remarks at the May 2022 Nebraska Problem-Solving Court Month proclamation ceremony.

Harry Potter received a verdict of not guilty following his murder trial in Aurora, Nebraska, on the morning of April 27, 2022. Hampton Public School 5th graders took on roles of Harry Potter, Dumbledore, Lord Voldemort, Hagrid, and other characters in the fictional series. Student attorneys and court staff worked their way through a mock trial script provided by the Nebraska State Bar Foundation.

Rob Hall is the Juvenile Special Populations Officer assigned to Hastings Youth Rehabilitation Treatment Center (YRTC). His work involves navigating transition plans, utilizing skill-building, and creating activities to build relationships with youth at the center. The youth at the Hastings YRTC enjoy it when Hall joins their volleyball games, puts himself in a dunk tank, or spends an extra minute of his time with them.

Lancaster County District Court Bailiff Lynne Albin, along with Official Court Reporters Rita Loos and Dawn Siegfried enthusiastically embraced the challenge of organizing a traveling court group. The trial of State v. Felipe Vazquez transferred venues from Lancaster County District Court to Platte County District Court in Columbus, where Albin, Siegfried, and Loos were essential in preparing for and executing the out-of-county trial. 

Nebraska Chief Justice Michael G. Heavican held a proclamation signing ceremony announcing the month of May as Nebraska Problem-Solving Court Month on behalf of the State Judicial Branch on Wednesday, May 4, at 2:00 p.m. The ceremony was streamed live from the Nebraska Supreme Court Courtroom which can be viewed here.

Law Day 2022 was celebrated in the McCook High School auditorium on April 28, with local judges speaking to students immediately before the Nebraska Supreme Court held oral arguments.

There are about 6,500 languages in the world, and in the past year the Language Access Program provided interpreters in more than two-thirds of Nebraska’s 93 counties, across all 12 Judicial Districts.  Collectively, those interpreters communicated in 49 different languages, from across the globe, with Spanish the most frequently interpreted language.