About the Douglas County Clerk of the District Court
Crystal Rhoades serves as the Douglas County Clerk of the District Court. Nebraska elects the clerk of the district court in counties with 7,000 or more people, and the office serves a four-year term. The statute on elected clerks is Neb. Rev. Stat. 32-524. The clerk works under the supervision and direction of the District Court.
This same clerk office also serves the Douglas County Separate Juvenile Court. Douglas is one of only three Nebraska counties with a separate juvenile court, so the clerk's juvenile work runs from a different room than the main civil and criminal counter.
Clerk of the District Court
Clerk: Crystal Rhoades
Hall of Justice, 1701 Farnam Street
Omaha, NE 68183
402-444-7018
Fax: 402-444-1757
Separate Juvenile Court Clerk
Clerk: Crystal Rhoades
1717 Harney Street, Room 4-195
Omaha, NE 68183
402-444-7337
Juvenile case filings and records.
What the Clerk Does in Douglas County
The clerk of the district court is the record-keeper and administrative officer for the District Court. The duties are set by statute and Supreme Court rule, including the clerk authority statute at Neb. Rev. Stat. 25-2214. The job is procedural, not judicial; the clerk cannot give legal advice or decide a case.
- Accept and file pleadings, motions, and other case documents.
- Prepare and maintain the dockets and records required by court, rule, or statute.
- Issue summons, subpoenas, writs, and other court process.
- Collect filing fees, court costs, and other payments.
- Notify the court and the sheriff when a mandate returns from the Nebraska Supreme Court in criminal cases.
- Provide public access to non-restricted case files and certified copies.
How to Request a Certified Copy
A certified copy carries the clerk's certification that it is a true copy of the court record. Certified copies are needed for appeals, other court cases, name changes, and many benefit and immigration filings. A plain copy is fine for information only.
- Find the case number through the JUSTICE one-time case search or a prior notice.
- Complete the clerk's records request, listing the case number, the party names, and the document you need.
- Submit the request in person, by mail, or as the clerk's office allows, with the copy and certification fee.
- Pick up the certified copy at the counter, or have it mailed to the address on the request.
Note: An older, paper-only file or an exhibit may not be available as an instant copy and may require the clerk to pull the physical file first.
Records Request Form Fields
A Douglas County district court records request asks for the details below. A copy of the form was located online, but the official version on the clerk's site should be used for any filing.
| Field | Required | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Requester name | Yes | Person making the request. |
| Mailing address, phone, email | Yes | Used for the response and delivery. |
| Case number | If known | Speeds the search; not always required. |
| Case caption or party names | Yes | Needed when the case number is unknown. |
| Type of case / division | Yes | Civil, criminal, domestic, or juvenile. |
| Documents requested | Yes | Describe the specific record. |
| Copy type | Yes | Plain or certified. |
| Delivery method | Yes | Pickup or mail. |
Douglas County Clerk Fees
Court fees in Nebraska are layered. A single civil filing can include a docket fee, automation fee, legal services fee, and other components. The Nebraska Judicial Branch filing fees and court costs page lists the current total for each case type.
| Item | Where It Is Set |
|---|---|
| Plain copy per page | Clerk's office; verify current rate. |
| Certified copy | Clerk's office; higher than a plain copy. |
| District Court criminal docket costs | Statewide fee schedule shows a standard criminal total. |
| Civil appeal from county court or agency | Statewide fee schedule shows the listed total. |
| JUSTICE one-time online search | $17 per search, charged even with no results. |
A filer who cannot pay can ask the court to waive fees by filing a Poverty Affidavit. The clerk can explain the form, but the judge decides whether to grant the waiver.
Mail and Online Filings
Nebraska runs an electronic filing system for attorneys and many case types. The Nebraska courts public access rules at nebraskajudicial.gov describe how registered users and the public access electronic court records. Self-represented filers should ask the clerk which case types accept paper filing and which require e-filing.
For records the public can already see, the statewide JUSTICE case search often beats a mailed request, since it returns the docket and document images right away. The clerk's office is the route for certified copies and for older files not in the electronic system.