Hall County to carve out space for new judge

GRAND ISLAND, Neb. (AP) - Hall County officials have decided to carve out space in the cramped courthouse to make room for a new, part-time judge.

On Tuesday the Board of Supervisors authorized spending upward of $40,000 to create the third courtroom for the county court. The judge is expected to start work in about 60 days.

District Judge Teresa Luther told supervisors that the new judge’s primary courtroom will be in Kearney, but that he or she will spend a day or two each week in Grand Island to hear Hall County cases. The judge hasn’t yet been named.

Luther said county and district judges originally intended to share a small first-floor courtroom with the new judge. But when schedules were checked, Luther said, officials learned the space was available only on Fridays, which didn’t work with the new judge’s expected schedule in Kearney.

The only space Hall County officials could come up with inside the courtroom was the court self-help room, which is used on Wednesday mornings for mediation hearings and Friday mornings by people who want to research cases. After renovations, the self-help program hours will be worked around the new judge’s schedule.

Renovations will include adding a judge’s bench and a witness stand, along with tables and chairs. An adjacent mechanical room and storage space will be turned into the judge’s chambers and a staff office.

Keeping the new judge inside the courthouse was a key consideration for board member Pam Lancaster, who said it would help the county keep a lid on security and prisoner transportation costs.

The supervisors are still awaiting more details of a long-term courthouse renovation that could cost up to $14 million.