LINCOLN- Nebraska Supreme Court Chief Justice Mike Heavican held his State of the Judiciary Address on Tuesday, outlining a series of ongoing efforts to improve the state's judicial system by addressing issues like the needs of children and minority defendants. "Please be assured that Nebraska's judicial branch is always striving to find ways to do it better," Heavican told the senators in attendance. However, one of the most pressing issues according to Heavican is mental health.

"Our judges are frequently confronted with defendants who have mental health issues," continued Heavican, emphasizing how often judges turn to probation officers to find services for these individuals. Heavican also stated that "this problem has festered for years and needs a resource supplement," especially since the Lincoln Regional Center is experiencing six-month backlogs for evaluations.

Heavican also revealed the results of a study done in association with the Access to Justice Commission during his address, and stated that over 46 different languages were interpreted in court proceedings last year in Nebraska.

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