The opportunity to provide interpreter services to the Nebraska Judicial Branch under the direction of the State Court Administrator is at the Administrator’s complete and continuing discretion because of the critical reliance the Nebraska Judicial Branch must have on the skills, performance, and integrity of the interpreter in performing duties for the Nebraska Judicial Branch. This discretion applies to any interpreter who is on the statewide register of interpreters or may be appointed to interpret for the Nebraska Judicial Branch. An interpreter should be one whose record of conduct justifies the trust of the courts, probation, witnesses, jurors, attorneys, parties, and the public. All interpreters and those seeking certification shall comply with the following:
§ 6-711.Criminal history and revocation or suspension of certification reporting requirement.
Article 7: Interpreters in the Nebraska Judicial Branch · Last amended June 12, 2024 · Last verified July 22, 2026
In one sentenceThis rule requires anyone seeking or holding interpreter certification, provisional certification, or registration to self-report new criminal charges, convictions, or probation-revocation motions within five business days, and out-of-state certification actions or serious misconduct within thirty, with failure to report exposing the interpreter to sanctions under § 6-709.
Full Text of § 6-711
(A) Any applicant seeking certification or registration as a Nebraska Judicial Branch interpreter must report in writing to the Director of Language Access or designated Nebraska Judicial Branch staff any misdemeanor or felony citation, charge or conviction, or motion to revoke probation incurred during the course of the certification process within 5 business days.
(B) All certified, provisionally certified, registered, or non-certified interpreters on the statewide register of interpreters shall report in writing to the Director of Language Access or designated Nebraska Judicial Branch staff any misdemeanor or felony citation, charge or conviction, or motion to revoke probation within 5 business days.
(C) Any certified, provisionally certified, registered, or non-certified interpreter on the statewide register of interpreters who fails to report in writing to the Director of Language Access or designated Nebraska Judicial Branch staff any misdemeanor or felony citation, charge or conviction, or motion to revoke probation within 5 business days may be subject to imposition of sanctions pursuant to § 6-709.
(D) All certified, provisionally certified, registered, or non-certified interpreters on the statewide register of interpreters shall report in writing to the Director of Language Access or designated Nebraska Judicial Branch staff any:
(1) Revocation or suspension of certification as an interpreter in any other jurisdiction;
(2) Acts that indicate abuse of or disrespect for the judicial process, including significant deficiency in honesty, trustworthiness, diligence, or reliability.
(E) Any certified, provisionally certified, registered, or non-certified interpreter on the statewide register of interpreters who fails to report in writing to the Director of Language Access or designated Nebraska Judicial Branch staff any revocation or suspension of certification in any other jurisdiction or acts that indicate abuse of or disrespect of the judicial process within 30 business days may be subject to imposition of sanctions pursuant to § 6-709.
Amendment History
§ 6-710 adopted December 12, 2018; § 6-710 amended April 14, 2021; § 6-710 renumbered to § 6-711 and amended June 12, 2024.
Plain-English Summary
Background screening under Article 7 is not a one-time event confined to the application process. Section 6-711 keeps that screening alive for as long as an interpreter stays on the statewide register, by putting the reporting duty on the interpreter rather than leaving it to the Nebraska Judicial Branch to discover problems on its own.
Anyone applying for certification or registration, and anyone already certified, provisionally certified, registered, or non-certified on the register, has five business days to report in writing any misdemeanor or felony citation, charge, conviction, or motion to revoke probation. A separate, slower-moving duty covers two other categories: a revocation or suspension of certification in any other jurisdiction, and any act showing abuse of or disrespect for the judicial process, including conduct that shows a real problem with honesty, trustworthiness, diligence, or reliability. An interpreter who misses that second reporting duty by more than 30 business days can face sanctions for it.
The point of building self-reporting into the rule, rather than waiting for a complaint to surface a problem, is to keep the register accurate in real time. An interpreter who fails to report on time under either deadline does not just risk the underlying misconduct being discovered later — the failure to report itself becomes grounds for sanctions under § 6-709.
Frequently Asked Questions
How fast does an interpreter have to report a new criminal charge?
Within 5 business days, whether it is a misdemeanor or felony citation, charge, conviction, or a motion to revoke probation.
What if an interpreter loses certification in another state?
They must report that revocation or suspension, along with any conduct showing abuse of or disrespect for the judicial process, and failing to report it within 30 business days can lead to sanctions.
Does this reporting duty apply only during the application process?
No. It applies to applicants and to anyone already on the statewide register, certified or not, for as long as they remain eligible to interpret for the Nebraska Judicial Branch.
What happens if an interpreter fails to report as required?
The failure to report is itself grounds for sanctions under § 6-709, separate from whatever the underlying charge or conduct might involve.
Does a dismissed or acquitted charge still need to be reported?
The rule requires reporting of citations, charges, convictions, and probation-revocation motions as they arise; how a charge is later resolved is evaluated separately under the disqualification standards in the certification rules.
Source & verification. Section text and amendment history are
reproduced verbatim from the Nebraska Judicial Branch, adopted by the
Supreme Court of Nebraska. Last verified July 22, 2026. ·
Official source
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