Nebraska District Courts

Nebraska’s District Courts are the general jurisdiction trial courts for the state. These are the highest trial courts, and they handle cases of all types, including civil and criminal matters. Only a few types of cases such as those that deal with the death penalty and life in prison go to the Supreme Court instead. District Courts also act as an appeal court for County Courts and administrative agencies. The types of cases heard in District Court are tort cases, domestic relations matters such as divorce, child custody, and domestic abuse. They also manage civil appeals, real property cases, exclusive mental health cases, misdemeanors, felonies, and criminal appeals. There are twelve judicial districts in the state of Nebraska with one District Court for each. With those counties that have more than 7,000 residents, the law requires that there be at least one Clerk for the District Courts. If a county has less than 7,000 people, then the county board or the District Court judge decides if there should be a clerk or not. The District Court Clerk performs administrative duties for the courts. Nebraska’s Judicial Branch website is well organized with a detailed list of each district and the judges presiding along with each Chief Judge per district. They also offer all the forms needed to file court cases and an electronic filing option for paying fines and fees and filing through the internet. In some counties, Juvenile Courts are broken out as separate entities so juvenile issues will be tried there instead of District Court. Appeals coming from District Court go first to the Court of Appeals and then the Supreme Court if necessary. Each year District Courts see about 40,000 cases. More than half (23,000) are for domestic relations issues, about 12,000 are for criminal offenses, 5,700 are for civil actions, and the rest are appeals.

Courts in Nebraska