Douglas County is the most populous county in Nebraska, with a population of over half a million, more than a quarter of the state's residents. Omaha is its county seat and the largest city in the county and state. Douglas County, with a land area of 328 square miles, was created in 1854 and named after Senator Stephen Douglas.

Courts in Douglas County

The highest court in Douglas County is the Douglas County District Court. It has jurisdiction over all types of cases but typically hears cases beyond the jurisdiction of the County and Juvenile Courts. It has exclusive jurisdiction over all felonies, most domestic relations cases, and civil cases with over $57,000 claims. However, the financial limits of civil cases in Nebraska are reviewed every five years. The Douglas County District Court also hears appeals from the decisions of administrative agencies.

The County Court of Douglas County is a limited jurisdiction court that can hear misdemeanors, municipal ordinance violations, and traffic infractions. It also handles all uncontested probate matters and civil cases with at most $57,000 claims. In addition, it can hold preliminary hearings for felony cases.

Finally, the Douglas County Juvenile Court has jurisdiction over all juvenile cases. It can also hear domestic relations matters involving minors' welfare, support, or custody.

Where to Find Public Court Records in Douglas County

The Douglas County Clerk of the District Court and Clerk of the County Court are responsible for all records generated in the District and County Courts, respectively. They index, preserve and store all court records in the county and provide public access to nonconfidential court records. Members of the public may visit the courts to inspect or obtain copies of public court records, but sealed records are not open to the public. In addition, the Clerk of the District Court makes public court records from the District Court available online at a fee of $15 per search.

Types of Public Court Records in Douglas County

Douglas County makes the following types of court records available to the public:

• Criminal Court Records: includes court proceedings and judgments for misdemeanors and felonies
• Family Court Records: includes divorce, support, adoption, and custody cases
• Civil Court Records: includes all general civil cases, personal injury cases, and breaches of contracts
• Probate Court Records: includes admission of wills, appointment of guardianships and conservatorships, and documentation and administration of estates and trusts.

Confidential Court Records

Confidential court records in Douglas County include court records that are sealed by default under Nebraska law and those sealed by court orders. Although most court records are available to the public in Nebraska, the following are usually excluded from public records:

• Mental health records
• Juvenile records
• Identifying information about victims, selected witnesses, juveniles, and jurors involved in a case
• Records pertaining to the lifestyle of individuals mentioned in the case, such as sex changes and sexual lifestyle
• Warrants and summons not executed

Part or all of a Douglas County court record containing sensitive information may also be sealed. Such sensitive information includes:

• Personally identifiable information, such as the Social Security number of individuals in the case
• Medical treatment reports
• Psychological evaluation reports
• Intellectual property
• Settlement agreement of a divorce case
• Financial information records

Juvenile Delinquency in Douglas, NE

Unfortunately, in many areas of the Douglas County, juvenile delinquency offenses are on the rise. There are many reasons for the inflation in youth offenders. The juvenile sentence in Nebraska often depends on the severity of the crime, the number of charges, and other family matters.

In 2017, a total of 1317 juvenile cases were reported for every 100,000 people age 10 to adulthood in the jurisdiction of Douglas County. Of that total, 0% of those proceedings were delinquencies which equaled 1 court cases. Another 72% were dependency cases that accounted for 948 of the juvenile cases.

A lot of counties, including, Douglas County, are focusing on family counseling and relationships rather than punishment for juvenile crimes. Future Douglas County juvenile delinquency tallies will show whether or not this approach is working.

Government of Douglas County, NE

http://www.nebraska.gov/

County Seat:	Omaha
Government Type:	County
Authority:	Dillon's Rule
Year Organized:	1854
Total Square Miles:	339
2019 Population:	561,620
Persons/Square Mile:	0.00

Douglas County, NE Courts