When a child’s life is in danger, when a family is in crisis, when a judge has to decide whether a parent will ever see their child again, the record of every one of those moments lives in the Clerk of the District Court’s office.
These are not abstractions. These are real Douglas County children. Real families. Real futures.
Most candidates for this office have read about juvenile court. Justin Wayne has been inside it. For years. From every angle.
Douglas County’s Separate Juvenile Court
Douglas County is one of only a handful of counties in Nebraska with a Separate Juvenile Court. This is not a division of district court. It is its own court, handling exclusively the cases of minor children. And the Clerk of the District Court maintains a dedicated Juvenile Division responsible for every case that flows through it.
Those cases include dependency and neglect proceedings — when a child has been abused, abandoned, or neglected. Status offenses such as truancy, runaway, and curfew violations. Juvenile delinquency cases — when a minor is charged with a criminal act. And the most consequential legal action a court can ever take against a family — termination of parental rights.
Under Douglas County Juvenile Court Rule 14, all court costs ordered by the Juvenile Court are paid directly to the Clerk of the District Court.
What Is a Guardian ad Litem — And Why It Matters
A Guardian ad Litem is an attorney appointed directly by a judge to represent the best interests of a party in juvenile court proceedings — whether that is a child or a parent who may lack the mental capacity to fully understand or participate in the proceedings. The Guardian ad Litem does not represent the state, does not represent the opposing party, and is not bound by the client’s expressed wishes. Their sole obligation is to the best interests of the person the court has appointed them to protect.
When a family is in crisis and the court needs someone whose only job is to fight for what is truly best for that child or that vulnerable parent — that is the Guardian ad Litem.
Justin Wayne has been that person. Repeatedly. By appointment of the Douglas County court.
He has also represented parents — including parents facing termination of parental rights — the most devastating legal proceeding a family can face. And he has represented the juveniles themselves in abuse and neglect proceedings.
He has been in this courtroom from every angle. As the child’s voice. As the parent’s defender. As the court’s appointed protector of a child’s best interests.
No other candidate in this race can say that.
Confidentiality — The Law Is Strict for a Reason
Juvenile records receive some of the strongest confidentiality protections in all of Nebraska law. The Clerk must carefully manage who can access these records and under what circumstances.
These protections exist because what happens to a young person in the court system can follow them for the rest of their lives. A sealed juvenile record requires special court authorization before any disclosure. An improperly handled record — accessed by the wrong person, disclosed without authorization, or managed carelessly — can permanently damage a child’s future.
The Clerk is the keeper of these records. That responsibility demands the highest standard of professionalism and care.
These are the moments when a family’s life changes permanently. The Clerk is not a passive bystander in that process. The Clerk is the institutional memory of it. Every motion. Every hearing. Every order. Every appeal. The Clerk’s record is the official account of one of the most painful and consequential moments in a Douglas County family’s life.
That record must be perfect. Because families — and courts — depend on it.
Justin Wayne’s Legislative Record on Juvenile Justice
Justin Wayne did not just practice in Nebraska’s juvenile justice system. He helped shape it — from the OPS Board to the Legislature to the Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee.
LB 894 (2016) — As Justin was completing his service on the OPS Board and preparing to enter the Legislature, Nebraska passed landmark juvenile justice reform — establishing developmentally appropriate advisement of counsel rights for juveniles, strengthening right-to-counsel protections, and requiring the Nebraska Supreme Court to set professional standards for juvenile court attorneys.
LB 1148 (2020) — As a State Senator, Justin helped pass legislation requiring the Office of Juvenile Services to provide treatment plans to committing courts, giving courts authority to review those plans, restricting placement changes without court order, and prohibiting secure detention facilities from being used as youth rehabilitation and treatment centers. This was real reform — protecting juveniles in the system from being shuffled between facilities without judicial oversight.
LB 184 (2023) — As Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, Justin helped pass legislation protecting juveniles in transfer proceedings — preventing statements made to mental health professionals during transfer hearings from being used against them in other civil or criminal proceedings. This is a fundamental protection of a juvenile’s right against self-incrimination at one of the most critical moments in the system.
LB 1051 (2024) — Justin’s most comprehensive juvenile justice achievement as Judiciary Chair. This bill amended and reorganized major portions of the Nebraska Juvenile Code — eliminating obsolete provisions and harmonizing language that had accumulated since 2013. It passed the Legislature 46-0-3 and was signed by the Governor on April 15, 2024.
Unanimous. Not a single dissenting vote.
That is what it looks like when the right person is leading the right committee at the right time.
Why Justin Wayne Is the Most Qualified Candidate on This Topic
The Juvenile Division of the Clerk’s office handles the most sensitive records in the entire justice system. It requires a Clerk who understands not just the administrative function — but the human weight of every file in that division.
Justin Wayne has represented juveniles. He has represented parents. He has been appointed by judges to represent the best interests of children when no one else could. He has stood in Douglas County Juvenile Court on the hardest days of families’ lives — and he has fought for them.
He has also sat in the Nebraska Legislature and helped write the laws that govern every one of those proceedings — from the right to counsel to the reorganization of the entire Juvenile Code.
He is the only candidate in this race who has been inside juvenile court from every angle — attorney, advocate, legislator, and Guardian ad Litem.
The children of Douglas County deserve a Clerk who takes that responsibility seriously.
Justin Wayne already does.
This is Deep Dive 4 of the Front Door of Justice education series. Follow along at Wayne4NE.com.
Democratic Primary — Tuesday, May 12, 2026 | Wayne4NE.com | Paid for by Wayne for District Clerk
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