Nebraska Chief Justice Jeffrey Funke delivered his annual State of the Judiciary address to state senators on January 22, 2026, in the Legislative Chamber.

The address was presented at the invitation of the Speaker of the Legislature, Senator John Arch. The Chief Justice uses this time with the legislature to highlight Judicial Branch priorities for the upcoming year, reflect on accomplishments from the previous year, and share relevant information directly with lawmakers.

In his remarks, Chief Justice Funke recognized several key achievements of the Judicial Branch over the past year. These included expanded use of technology to improve access to justice statewide; Nebraska Probation’s nationally recognized leadership in addressing the needs of emerging adults; and the successful implementation of LB 530, which reexamined juvenile detention and supervision processes and strengthened judicial involvement.

The Chief Justice also highlighted the continued success of Nebraska’s 35 problem-solving courts, which offer appropriate candidates alternatives to incarceration in county jails or state prisons, as well as highlighting many other achievements and activities across the Judicial Branch. In addition, he provided an update on progress toward evaluating a replacement for the 30-year-old JUSTICE court case management system.

Watch and read:

• State of the Judiciary video
• State of the Judiciary written remarks

Also given to senators:

• Nebraska Judicial Branch Annual Report