Chief Justice’s Summer Tour Continues Through Southwest Nebraska

The Court’s tour of southwest Nebraska courthouses continued its second day with an opening stop in McCook, greeting judges, staff, and county commissioners. From there, the group traveled west to Trenton, arriving at the Hitchcock County courthouse.

Continuing further west, the tour stopped in Benkelman at the Dundy County Courthouse. There a swearing-in ceremony was held for Pandora Garcia as a dual clerk, serving both the role of clerk magistrate and clerk of the district court for the county. Friends, family, and county officials gathered to see her oath of office administered by the Chief Justice.

Turning north, the court stopped at the Chase County courthouse in Imperial, having lunch with local members of the legal community. Arriving in Grant at the Perkins County courthouse, the tour observed a demonstration of the DTEN video conferencing system by dual clerk Kathy Woodmancy and Deputy Chief Information Officer Terry Wise. These screen and camera combination systems allow users to remotely connect to surrounding courthouses in a call, permitting access to court staff even in locations with reduced hours or staffing, ensuring a seamless access to justice no matter the location. The local high school mock trial team also joined the crowd, asking advice of justices about their own potential pursuit of legal careers.

From Perkins County, the group traveled on to North Platte, receiving the local legal community in an evening reception.

Photos:

1. Hitchcock County Clerk Magistrate Linda Smith welcomes State Court Administrator Corey Steel to the courthouse.
2. County Court Judge Joel Jay discusses the role of dual clerks before Pandora Garcia’s swearing-in.
3. Perkins County Dual Clerk Kathy Woodmancy demonstrates the new videoconferencing technology to connect users with other courthouses.
4. Justice John Freudenberg greets local high school mock trial team members.