Courtroom Technology

The court uses the Google Meet platform for video trials and hearings. NEB. REV. STAT. § 48-177 governs video proceedings. If parties do not agree on a video proceeding, a motion should be filed following general motion procedures. For questions regarding filing a motion, contact the trial judge’s judicial assistant.  

• If a video proceeding is granted by the trial judge, the court will coordinate the video conference and provide the video link to parties.

• Participants do NOT need to have a Google account to participate in a Google Meet video conference.

• Parties have to be allowed into the video session by court staff, which reduces the risk of the video conference being accessed by outside sources.

• Parties can join a video conference using a computer or laptop with a webcam and microphone, tablet, iPad, or a smartphone. 

• No software is required to be installed on a computer or laptop.

• If using a tablet, iPad, or smartphone, the Google Meet app will need to be installed.

• The court can accommodate proceedings held on other video platforms, but they must be arranged by the parties. Work with the trial judge’s judicial assistant to coordinate the use of other video platforms.

• If any of the participants are not familiar with Google Meet, we ask to schedule a time to test with court staff prior to the proceeding. Witnesses should also test. Contact the trial judge’s judicial assistant to coordinate testing.

• Exhibits need to be delivered to the court the prior business day to the proceeding. Coordinate with the judge’s judicial assistant to determine the best way to deliver the exhibits to the judge.

• Attorneys or self-represented litigants should consider how they expect to share exhibits with the witnesses, if needed. Google Meet does have an option to screen share in the video conference. The court does not have a document camera compatible with Google Meet. Contact the trial judge’s judicial assistant for technical details on document sharing in Google Meet. Providing paper copies of the exhibits to witnesses prior to the proceeding is an option also.   

• Generally, the court reporter will appear with the judge. However, the court reporter may appear remotely. Coordinate with the judge’s assistant and the court reporter to determine where the court reporter will appear for the proceeding.

• If joining the video conference from a company device or internet connection, make sure the company’s firewall allows access to Google Meet. Click here for guidance on preparing your network for Google Meet video calls.

• Ensure you have a reliable internet connection.

• Find a quiet, well-lit room to participate in.

• Have a place to sit your smartphone or laptop on to minimize movements and ensure a good video connection.

• Treat a video conference as if you were in person with the judge and participants.

The courtrooms in our Lincoln office are equipped with various audio-visual equipment and available for use during any proceeding. It is the responsibility of the party to verify that their device (e.g., laptop, tablet, cell phone, etc.) can output video and / or audio through HDMI or VGA / RCA in our courtrooms. The court encourages parties to come to the court at least 24 hours in advance of the trial/hearing to verify their equipment will output from the sources necessary for the trial / hearing. Please see the section below on scheduling testing.

Computers and wireless Internet connection. The court does NOT have a computer that is available to the parties in the courtrooms. Parties must bring their own computer if needed to display media for a trial / hearing.

Note: Using a USB source to display media, the party must bring their own computer. Our audio-visual equipment (described below) does not have the means to connect to a USB source.

The court has wireless internet available to the public. There are instructions to connect to the wireless internet on the party tables in each courtroom. If you have issues connecting to the wireless internet, ask for assistance at the front counter.

Basic Information:

• This device works on the same concept as older model projectors but has many more options and capabilities.

• This device will capture the image of anything placed on the stage and display it on the monitor.

• This device can be used to display an exhibit on the monitor so everyone in the courtroom can easily view the exhibit.

All attorney tables in each courtroom have HDMI and VGA/RCA cable connections. They are also equipped with power sources.

Possible devices to connect to HDMI or VGA:

• Laptops

• Tablets

• Any device that has an RCA sound cable

Devices that do not have HDMI or VGA connections. If your device does not have an HDMI or VGA connection, it is the responsibility of the party to bring the appropriate adapter for an HDMI or VGA port (e.g., HP DisplayPort, or any tablet). The court will NOT provide adapters to connect to an HDMI or VGA cable.

Reminder: It is the responsibility of the party to verify that their device (e.g., laptop, tablet, etc.) can output video and/or audio through HDMI or VGA/RCA in our courtrooms. Please see the above section on scheduling testing.

Each courtroom has a DVD player that has Blu-Ray capability which plays multimedia only (video, audio or photo). Some DVDs may not play depending on the format, the encoding, or the recording condition of the file on the DVD, or if the file was edited on a PC (e.g., *.MPEG, *.WMV, *.AVI, *.JPEG). DVDs that are file formatted for data will not display using the DVD player (e.g., *.TXT, *.DOCX, *XLSX, etc.). To use media that will NOT play using the DVD player, the party must bring their own device that can display using the court's system (e.g., laptop, tablet, etc.).

Uses of the display monitor:

• Displays images from the ELMO P10 document camera

• Displays images from the DVD Blu-Ray player

• Displays images from the HDMI or VGA inputs

The party must bring their own device to plug into the HDMI or VGA inputs to display the following media (the display monitor does not have these direct connections):

• Any type of memory card

• USB devices

Anyone who wishes to use the court’s audio-visual equipment for a trial / hearing is strongly encouraged to test their device prior to the scheduled trial / hearing. It is recommended that the testing is completed at least 24 hours in advance of the trial / hearing. Please bring the device that will be used (e.g. laptop, tablet, cell phone, etc.) and the media that will be displayed at the trial / hearing (e.g., exhibits on a DVD, surveillance video, etc.). Please contact Kim Krzycki, Clerk of the Court, by phone at 402-471-6466 or  by email to schedule a testing session.