The Office of the Governor of the State of Nebraska

02/05/2026 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 02/05/2026 12:17

Gov. Pillen Appoints Flaherty as County Court Judge in Fifth Judicial District

February 5, 2026

CONTACT:

Laura Strimple, (402) 580-9495

Gov. Pillen Appoints Flaherty as County Court Judge in Fifth Judicial District

LINCOLN, NE -- Today, Governor Jim Pillen announced his appointment of Breanna D. Flaherty of Columbus as county court judge in the Fifth Judicial District. That district includes Boone, Butler, Colfax, Hamilton, Merrick, Nance, Platte, Polk, Saunders, Seward, and York counties. The vacancy is due to the retirement of Judge C. Jo Petersen.

Flaherty is presently the Platte County Attorney. She has been in that office since 2012, having also served as a deputy and chief deputy in that office. Flaherty is also an adjunct instructor at Central Community College where she has taught criminal law, criminal procedure and other related topics at the Columbus campus.

Flaherty is currently a board member of both the Centro Hispano Comunitario de Nebraska and the Columbus Optimist Club. She has served several state organizations including the Nebraska Coalition for Juvenile Justice, County Attorney Standards Advisory Council and the Nebraska Children's Commission. Flaherty is also a mock trial attorney coach for Scotus Catholic School.

Flaherty received a bachelor's degree in biology from Wayne State University, a master's degree in forensic science from Nebraska Wesleyan University and her juris doctor from the University of Nebraska College of Law.

The Office of the Governor of the State of Nebraska published this content on February 05, 2026, and is solely responsible for the information contained herein. Distributed via Public Technologies (PUBT), unedited and unaltered, on February 05, 2026 at 18:17 UTC. If you believe the information included in the content is inaccurate or outdated and requires editing or removal, please contact us at [email protected]