Lawyers responding to the Nebraska State Bar Association evaluation poll gave high marks to most of the state's 138 judges.
Association President Tim Engler said while the 2018 Judicial Performance Evaluation poll isn't an absolute measure, it gives practicing attorneys the opportunity to evaluate judges on a variety of criteria.
This year, the lawyers gave passing grades to 79 percent of the state's judges, down from 94 percent four years ago.
Specifically, they gave 54 of the judges a 90 percent or higher retention approval rating, 46 judges an 80 to 89 percent rating and nine judges 70Ìýto 79 percent.
No retention ratings were below 50 percent.
"These numbers are remarkable," Engler said. "In these times of political division, the poll confirms that our judges in Nebraska do not operate as a political branch of government, but just do what judges are supposed to do: follow the law."
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The state association first used the Judicial Evaluation Poll in 1984. It's conducted every two years.
Sixteen percent of active State Bar Association members who live in Nebraska, Council Bluffs and Sioux City, Iowa, and Yankton, South Dakota, completed the electronic survey.
In the 3rd Judicial District, which is Lancaster County, lawyers gave the following retention approval ratings for district judges: Kevin McManaman (94.7 percent), Susan Strong (94.1), Andrew Jacobsen (91.3), Robert Otte (89.6), Jodi Nelson (88.9), John Colborn (87.7), Darla Ideus (83), and Lori Maret (55.4).
Lawyers gave the following retention approval ratings for Lancaster County court judges: Laurie Yardley (97.2 percent), Matthew Acton (95.5), Timothy Phillips (93.9), Rodney Reuter (93.4), Holly Parsley (87.5) and Thomas Zimmerman (85.2).
Maret got the lowest rating among the state's district court judges. Only one judge in the state,ÌýDouglas County Court Judge Darryl Lowe, got a lower retention rating (52.6 percent).