2025 Distinguished Judge Awards Presented to Judges Linda Bauer, Stephanie Hansen, and Marcela Keim

County Court Judge Linda Bauer of the First Judicial District, along with Judge Stephanie Hansen and Judge Marcela Keim, both of the Fourth Judicial District, were announced as the 2025 Distinguished Judge Award recipients by Chief Justice Jeffrey Funke.

On October 8, 2025, during his midday address to judges assembled from across the state, Chief Justice Funke recognized Judge Bauer with the Service to the Community Award, and Judges Hansen and Keim received the Improvement of the Judicial System Award.

These awards acknowledge exceptional achievements and projects undertaken by judges beyond their regular judicial duties. The awards are designed to recognize any type of project or activity that has a positive impact on the administration of justice, is effective in addressing public needs and enhancing public trust and confidence in the justice system and will benefit present and future users of the Nebraska court system.

The title of Distinguished Judge is the most prestigious honor conferred by the Nebraska Supreme Court.

Service to the Community: Judge Linda Bauer

Judge Bauer’s service to the court and engagement in her community was a key force in making things happen that improve lives and address the needs in her community. These include:

• Coordinating and hosting an UPSTREAM Mapping Workshop that brought together DHHS, CASA, schools, probation, local businesses, and service providers to discuss how better to serve children and families in the court system.
• Serving as lead judge for a Through the Eyes of the Child Initiative fostering collaboration between local child welfare and juvenile stakeholders to improve issues in the juvenile court system.
• Celebrating the reunification of families by holding a reunification celebration when families successfully complete the work necessary to support reunification.
• Collaborating with the Sheriff’s Office on their annual National Night Out/Back-to-School event that resulted in double the number of attendees and included Judge Bauer coordinating engagement by local churches and businesses to provide school-age youth with backpacks, “back-to-school” haircuts, and clothes. 

Improvement of the Judicial System: Judge Stephanie Hansen and Judge Marcela Keim

Both Judge Keim and Judge Hansen have been instrumental in reimagining how self-represented litigants (SRLs) are supported and assisted through their commitment to the Self-Help Center pilot.  The pilot in the Douglas County Courthouse is the result of a $75,000 grant awarded to the Administrative Office of the Courts and Probation by the State Justice Institute. Whether accessed virtually or in person, SRLs will find improved assistance with court processes, procedures, and filing – not because it provided the court with a dedicated person, but because of the time devoted to developing user-friendly court forms and resources that will better help SRLs navigate legal filings, court appearances, and presenting evidence. 

At the end of 2024, Judge Keim was presented with an opportunity to have the National Center for State Courts evaluate the Douglas County Court’s case processing, scheduling, and case management practices and to make recommendations on how the Court could implement best practices and process improvements moving forward. Through her leadership and commitment to the process, once the Court was presented with recommendations, Judge Keim became fully engaged with the process, was open to challenging the status quo, and resolute in her commitment to improving processes and policies. To accomplish this, she immediately executed a Docket Management Project for the Court with implementation phases and activities.

In recent years, Judge Hansen has served on the Nebraska State Bar Foundation’s Bench Media Committee, where she has distinguished herself as a willing volunteer and effective participant. Most recently she served as the sole judicial representative on an educational panel hosted by the Nebraska Broadcasters Association during its annual convention in Omaha. By sharing her knowledge and experience with journalists, Judge Hansen strengthened the relationship between the judiciary and the media, fostering greater trust and transparency. Judge Hansen was also one of the first county court judges to volunteer her courtroom to pilot the Nebraska Judicial Electronic Exhibits System (NJEES) providing the Judicial Branch with valuable feedback in efforts to find new innovative ways of enhancing the use of technology by judges, courtroom staff, lawyers, and litigants. 

Chief Justice Funke closed the presentation with a round of applause for all recipients, noting how their leadership and innovation are representative of the work put in by judges around the state and the shared commitment to the judiciary.

Photos (Top): Judges Linda Bauer, Stephanie Hansen, and Marcela Keim. (Right): Chief Justice Funke addresses Nebraska judges.