Gov. Heineman Names Russell Harford of Chadron to Western Nebraska Judgeship

 (Lincoln, Neb.) Gov. Dave Heineman today announced the appointment of Russell Harford of Chadron to serve on the County Court in the 12th Judicial District.

The district includes Banner, Box Butte, Cheyenne, Dawes, Deuel, Garden, Grant, Kimball, Morrill, Scotts Bluff, Sheridan, and Sioux Counties.

“Mr. Harford has had a long career in public service with a strong emphasis on law enforcement,” Gov. Heineman said. “His extensive experience in the public and private sector makes him an excellent candidate for the county court bench.”

Harford, 55, is a partner with Crites, Shaffer, Connealy, Watson & Harford in Chadron, where he has worked since 1989. Prior to joining the firm, he was an associate at Bump & Bump in Chadron from 1988 to 1989 and served one year as a Deputy County Attorney in Box Butte County.

Before receiving his law degree, Harford spent 10 years working as a trooper and criminal investigator for the Nebraska State Patrol in Lincoln, Gordon and Chadron. From 1972 to 1975 he was a clerk in the Washington offices of the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

Harford said, “I appreciate the Governor’s confidence in me and look forward to serving this district as a county judge.”

In addition to his legal practice, Harford has served as the alternate chairman of the mental health board for a three county area since 1998, and has been a member of the Chadron Planning Commission since his election in 1994. He holds two guardian ad litem certifications received in 2007 and 2009. He has also been an adjunct faculty member at Chadron State College.

He is treasurer of the Chadron Public Schools Foundation, a coach for the Chadron High School Mock Trial Team, and serves on the board of the Dawes County Crimestoppers and the local Drug Abuse Resistance Education (D.A.R.E.) program. He is a 2009 recipient of the Omaha World Herald Good Neighbor Award.

Harford attended Black Hills State University in Spearfish, S.D., and graduated with a degree in law enforcement and corrections from the University of Maryland in College Park in 1975. He received a master’s in counseling from Chadron State College in 1983, and graduated with distinction from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln College of Law in 1987.