Please help us customize your tour of the courthouse by marking the agencies you would like to visit:

• General Services Administration (GSA)
  • GSA is one of the three central management agencies in the federal government. GSA is headquartered in Washington, D.C., and has eleven regional offices around the country.
  • A GSA tour of the Omaha courthouse will include an overview about the site, design, construction (interior and exterior), and the Atrium (including the seal and artwork). Overviews are also provided on the building mechanical systems and courtrooms.
• U.S. Marshal's Service
  • In the Omaha courthouse, visitors can tour the control room, cellblock area (if no prisoners are present), processing room, "Green" mile, "Fit" room, and firearms range.
  • The Court Security Officers at all the courthouses can provide a briefing on building security and the screening procedures used in the courthouse.
  • Visitors can also view a fifteen-minute tape entitled "America's Star." It provides an overview of the various missions of the U.S. Marshal's Office. It also provides information about becoming a Deputy U.S. Marshal.
• U.S. Probation Office
  • The United States Probation Office performs two significant functions. First, it completes presentence investigations on each offender prior to sentencing. Second, it supervises offenders who have been convicted of federal offenses.
  • The United States Probation Office provides age-appropriate oral presentations to students about the many roles and duties of a United States Probation Officer. In addition, we will provide a tour of the office, demonstrating the equipment used in our day-to-day operations, such as electronic monitoring equipment, drug detection equipment, training weapons, defensive tactics training equipment, and badges.
• U.S. Pretrial Services Office
  • Pretrial Services is the front door to the Federal Community Corrections System. We will describe the role Pretrial Services Officers play in the federal court criminal process. This may include a role-playing exercise suitable for students in grades 4-6 and a demonstration of the tools pretrial officers use, such as electronic monitoring equipment, drug testing equipment, bullet proof vests, and badges. For students in grade 7 and above, an age-appropriate discussion is substituted for the role-playing exercise.
• U.S. Bankruptcy Court Clerk's Office
  • The Clerk's Office of the U.S. Bankruptcy Court maintains official court records, provides a just forum for the resolution of legal disputes, and remains impartial, honest, kind, and professional to all individuals and organizations with whom we come in contact. The U.S. Bankruptcy Court is located in both Omaha and Lincoln, and court is held in both locations. North Platte hearing are held via telephone conference, but trials are held in North Platte approximately twice a year. Employees of the U.S. Bankruptcy Clerk's Office handle a wide-range of duties from processing pleadings to advising on the court's procedures, budget, personnel, and security matters.
  • Students interested in the functions of the Bankruptcy Clerk's Office for the District of Nebraska may schedule a tour of the Clerk's office, visit with the staff, and attend a Bankruptcy hearing and/or First Meeting of Creditors hearing.
• U.S. District Court, Chambers
  • The United States District Court is the federal court of general jurisdiction for the District of Nebraska. Two Article III judges, one senior status judge, and two magistrates work in the Omaha courthouse; one Article III judge, two senior status judges, and one magistrate judge work in the Lincoln courthouse. Nebraska's federal district court has one of the heaviest per-judge criminal case loads in the United States.
  • Visitors to the Omaha or Lincoln courthouses can arrange to meet with a law clerk or judge to learn 1) what a federal judge does; 2) how one gets to be a federal judge; 3) the difference between civil and criminal trials; 4) why a case is tried in federal rather than state court; and 5) how trials are conducted. You may also be able to tour the district and magistrate judge courtrooms and learn about the new "high-tech" evidence presentation equipment.
• U.S. District Court, Court Reporters
  • The United States District Court Clerk's Office for the District of Nebraska provides administrative, technical and case management support for the court. We serve the judges, the public, members of the Bar, and other federal agencies.
  • Visitors interested in learning more about the functions of the Clerk's Office may schedule a tour of the office and visit with the staff to learn about careers within the clerk's office. Additionally, we can demonstrate how the use of technology has changed the way the courts operate by showing you the court's electronic filing system, financial system, evidence presentation systems, and video conferencing capabilities.
• U.S. District Court Clerk's Office
  • The United States District Court Clerk's Office for the District of Nebraska provides administrative, technical and case management support for the court. We serve the judges, the public, members of the Bar, and other federal agencies.
  • Visitors interested in learning more about the functions of the Clerk's Office may schedule a tour of the office and visit with the staff to learn about careers within the clerk's office. Additionally, we can demonstrate how the use of technology has changed the way the courts operate by showing you the court's electronic filing system, financial system, evidence presentation systems, and video conferencing capabilities.
• Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals
  • Chief Circuit Judge William Jay Riley and his staff welcome the opportunity to visit with students in the Roman L. Hruska United States Courthouse in Omaha, Nebraska. Chief Judge Riley is a United States Circuit Judge on the United States Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit. President George W. Bush appointed Chief Judge Riley to the Eighth Circuit in 2001. The Eighth Circuit is a federal appellate court, which reviews cases from federal trial courts in North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska, Minnesota, Iowa, Missouri and Arkansas. The only court higher than the Eighth Circuit is the Supreme Court of the United States.
  • Visitors will have the opportunity to view the beautiful court of appeals courtroom on the fourth floor, which differs in appearance from the other courtrooms in Omaha's federal courthouse - be sure to ask why. Visitors will also have the opportunity to ask Chief Judge Riley or his staff questions, which might include questions about the judicial appointment and confirmation process, the federal appellate process, available legal careers, being a lawyer and federal judge, the differences between federal and state courts, or the differences between the Eight Circuit and the United States District Court for the District of Nebraska. Because Chief Judge Riley enjoys talking with students about the law and especially enjoys answering students' questions, he looks forward to visiting with you when you tour the federal courthouse.

Please note, the following items are not allowed in the courthouse: weapons, cameras and other image/video devices, tape recorders, laptops, PDAs, cellular phones with camera or tape-recorder functionality.

You will need photo identification to enter the courthouse. All visitors and their belongings must go through security (magnetometer and x-ray machine). We recommend visitors do not bring in backpacks, purses, or large coats unless necessary.