Trial court judges have been hosting new state senators through a Judicial-Legislative Visit Program since 1999.  For twenty years, the program has fulfilled its purpose of providing legislators a personal understanding of the daily duties and responsibilities of the trial court judge and judicial branch personnel.  The program encourages new legislators to visit their local courthouse for a half-day session followed by meetings with court and probation staff.

The program began with new state senators from the Legislature’s Judiciary Committee. Then-senators Patrick Bourne and Matt Connealy, both elected to the legislature in 1998, were invited to their district courthouse for an up-close look at court operations by now-retired judges Michael McGill and Darvid Quist respectively. 

The importance of the program is that it gives members of the legislature a better understanding of the unique challenges that trial judges and court staff face on a daily basis while providing senators with points of contact within their legislative district. The experience is intended to demonstrate the impact of the courts on the daily lives of Nebraska citizens.