Four Submit their Names for County Court Judge in the Twelfth Judicial District

Four Submit their Names for County Court Judge in the Twelfth Judicial District

LINCOLN – Mark L. Kovarik, Gering; Danielle J. Fliam, Lincoln; Paul A. Payne, Lyman; and Paul W. Snyder, Scottsbluff, have submitted applications for appointment as County Court Judge in the Twelfth Judicial District which consists of Banner, Box Butte, Cheyenne, Dawes, Deuel, Garden, Grant, Kimball, Morrill, Scotts Bluff, Sheridan, and Sioux Counties. The vacancy is due to the retirement of Judge James M. Worden.     

The public hearing of the Judicial Nominating Commission will be held in the Scotts Bluff County Courthouse, second floor, district courtroom #1, 1725 10th St., Gering, Nebraska, beginning at 10:00 a.m. on Tuesday, March 17, 2026. The Commission will interview all applicants for the office at that time.

Any member of the public wishing to present his or her views concerning any candidate for the judicial vacancy may do so by:

  1. Written public testimony, signed and clearly labeled as such, should be mailed to the Commission Chair no later than March 10, 2026, at the following address: Justice Jason M. Bergevin, Nebraska Supreme Court, PO Box 98910, Lincoln, NE 68509, or emailed to kara.nielsen@nejudicial.gov. All written public testimony received by the deadline will be marked as an exhibit, received at the hearing, and made available to the public.      
  2. Oral public testimony may be presented in person during the public hearing in the Scotts Bluff County Courthouse, second floor, district courtroom #1, 1725 10th St., Gering, Nebraska.

Additional written information, including letters of recommendation, may be submitted to the commission at any time prior to its selection of qualified candidates to fill the vacancy, which may occur immediately after the public hearing. Such information should be mailed to the commission chair or emailed to kara.nielsen@nejudicial.gov, and all such information shall be deemed confidential communications to the commission.

A listing of the members of the Judicial Nominating Commission can be found on the Nebraska Judicial Branch website at https://nebraskajudicial.gov/administration/committees-commissions/judicial-nominating-commissions/judicial-nominating-commission-twelfth-district-countydistrict-court.

For special accommodations relating to the Americans with Disabilities Act, please contact Amy Prenda, ADA Coordinator, at (402) 471-3730 or email admin.adacoordinator@nejudicial.gov.