Judge Douglas F. Johnson of Omaha was appointed as Judge of the Separate Juvenile Court of Douglas County in 1993. He graduated from Creighton University School of Law in 1987.
Judge Johnson is the Immediate Past President of the National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges (NCJFCJ) (2010-2011). He is a longtime NCJFCJ member and past Trustee of the organization. Founded in 1937, the National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges, based on the University of Nevada, Reno campus, is the nation's oldest judicial membership organization. The NCJFCJ is focused on improving the effectiveness of our nation's juvenile and family courts and is a leader in continuing education opportunities, research, publications, and policy development in the field of juvenile and family justice. The 2,000-member NCJFCJ is unique in providing practice-based resources to jurisdictions and communities nationwide.
Judge Johnson presides over Nebraska’s First Family Drug Treatment Court, focusing on infants, toddlers and their parents, which opened in May 2005. He played a major role in starting Douglas County’s CASA program. He is co-chair of the Nebraska Supreme Court’s Commission on Children in the Courts, and serves on the Governor’s Commission for the Protection of Children. Judge Johnson also served as the first Lead Judge in the NCJFCJ’s Child Victims Act Model Courts Project. The Douglas County Juvenile Court is one of 36 Model Courts nationwide that is implementing strategies to improve the courts’ handling of child abuse and neglect cases.
Judge Johnson frequently teaches on behalf of the NCJFCJ on topics including delinquency, abuse and neglect, permanency, evidence, judicial ethics, collaboration, and judicial leadership. He co-facilitates and teaches at NCJFCJ's annual Child Abuse and Neglect Institute. He is an adjunct professor of law at Creighton University School of Law where he has taught Juvenile Law since 1995. Judge Johnson is a 2005 Harris Mid-Career Fellow at Zero To Three located in Washington, D.C. He also regularly contributes articles in the CASA Judge's Page Newsletter.
In 2010, Judge Johnson received the Omaha Bar Association Robert M. Spire Public Service Award and the Creighton University 2010 School of Law Alumni Merit Award. In 2005, Judge Johnson received the A. W. Clark Award from the Child Saving Institute, an Omaha child advocacy organization, in honor of his outstanding service to the community's children and families. Also in 2005, he received the Child Advocacy Coalition's Individual Award in recognition of his systems reforms efforts, including his leadership on the Model Court project and his endeavors to improve outcomes for children and families. He also received the Nebraska Supreme Court's 2001 Distinguished Judge Award for Service to the Community.
Courses Taught:
Juvenile Law
email:
douglas.johnson@douglascounty-ne.gov