         The 12th District Judicial Nominating Commission is holding a public hearing this afternoon at 1:30 at Chadron State College to take testimony for and against the four attorneys who want to succeed retired County Judge Russ Harford in Chadron.
The hearing begins at 1:30 in the Student Center Bordeaux Room and members of the public may testify at that time. The deadline has passed for submitting written testimony.
:Candidates Vance Haug of Chadron, Aaron Conn of Rushville, and Travis Rodak of Bridgeport are all county attorneys while Audrey Long of Scottsbluff is in private practice.
The 12th Judicial District covers the 11 Panhandle counties plus Grant County in the Sandhills while the Judicial Nominating Commission consists of 4 attorneys and 4 lay members.
The lay members are Kim Engel and Bruce Ferguson of Scottsbluff, Neal Smith of Gering, and Peggy Propps of Sidney. The attorneys are Matt Watson and Amy Patras of Chadron, Paul Snyder of Gering, and Jonas Longoria of Scottsbluff.
In charge of the commission and the hearing is Nebraska Supreme Court Justice Jonathan Papik. One justice handles issues and cases from each judicial district and the 12th district is assigned to Justice Papik
Each of the 4 applicants will have a chance to make a brief statement about their qualifications and reasons for seeking the judgeship with members of the public able to comment for or against any or all 4.
After taking testimony, the Nominating Commission will deliberate and recommend one or more candidates to Governor Pete Ricketts.
Ricketts will interview those candidates, either in person or remotely, before making the appointment to the bench. The new judge will be based in Chadron and handle cases in Dawes, Sioux, and Sheridan Counties.