“Investiture," is it… a heart-warming event? Or like the owner of the Daily Record, Jason Huff, said to me, "It’s open to the public, but most people don’t know what it is. Sounds like a 401k meeting or something.”

His definition is better than the dictionary's, too: “It’s quite a cool function, reminds me of a coronation of sorts, or a knighting ceremony where (judges) are bestowed new powers and authority.”  

On Friday, May 2nd, in the year 2025 A.D., in the City Hall of Omaha, Nebraska, Philip Keenan Kleine was invested with the powers and authority of a judge in Douglas County, in the State of Nebraska. I would urge the public to attend, to get to see just who will be weighing the fates of their fellow countrymen when it matters most, (likely the turnout might be more intense if we called it a knighting-ceremony, ha!) however at this ‘investiture,’ all the seats were taken by many smiling friends, family, and coworkers of the former prosecutor.

There was an air of excitement among the witnesses who attended, but not a restlessness. No, after everything that was said by the speakers at the event, it seemed everyone reckoned that that was exactly the moment they had all been waiting for: that moment in Philip Kleine’s life was past due.  

It began with many judges entering the chamber to bear witness, and then Lindsey Bitzes, Omaha’s Assistant City Prosecutor, opened the ceremony candidly and spoke with some humor about Phil’s “unmatched Googling skills,” but also how she “selfishly miss(es) his guidance.”

After the pleasant chuckles that made their way around the room, Omaha City Attorney Matt Kuhse followed Lindsey up to the stand and opened with, “Phil never makes anything easy. He is gonna’ regret letting me speak. He called me one time to ask a question, and then, when I gave him an answer, he proceeded to argue with me. So, I hung up.” There were other heart-warming comments about when Philip was looking for a job: “Phil was the perfect candidate: I got him at a bargain-basement price." Matt went on to say that anyone who thought that Phil got the job because Matt used to work for Phil’s father would be mistaken because, “I didn’t listen to Don even when I worked for him.”

Jokes aside, the City Attorney spoke then with heart, focused toward Phil: “Your appointment is based on merit and skill.”

The Honorable Marcela A. Keim of the Douglas County Court followed, administering Philip’s Oath of Office, and then a brief robing ceremony followed where both his father, the Douglas County Attorney Donald W. Kleine, and his brother, Attorney Donald J. Kleine helped to seat the famous black mantle of office on Philip’s shoulders.

And thus, his title became “The Honorable Philip Keenan Kleine,” which was further realized in his following speech to those who attended. He began by thanking many judges, such as the Honorable Darryl R. Lowe and the Honorable Mathew R. Kahler, who both had a profound impact on his road to becoming a judge. In his speech, he also gave thanks to his brother and father, who apparently both told him to do anything but become an attorney. Laughter rippled through the very full and cheerful hall and then was muted for but a moment as he revealed yet a deeper, and more profound layer to all who had come:

“Being appointed to judge will never top having two children, who taught me the importance of being patient and present.”

The Honorable Philip Kleine smiled, remarking that when he gave an instruction to his son recently, his son refuted, saying: “You’re not a judge yet, Dad."

Laughter followed, and after there were many congratulations and pictures.

Thankfully, the Honorable Philip Kleine sought me out in a brief moment of respite in that very busy and joyous moment, acquiescing to a request for a few questions, and out of it, I gained some clarity about our new Douglas County Judge for its citizens:

When he was an attorney, while he understood judges had very busy schedules, he would have liked it if those in the black robe would both slow down and give more time for consideration. The Honorable Philip K. Kleine believed when he was a lawyer that the hardest part of being a judge was likely making decisions quickly – and making sure they were the right ones, too.

He spoke with some earnestness when speaking about what was to come, specifically that he doesn't want people to think he is a prosecutor on the bench. In fact, out of the 100 testaments – or letters of recommendations from his peers – fifty-five of them came from defense attorneys.

The “investiture” humanized our newest Douglas County Judge. While it was certainly and visibly very personal for everyone there, more citizens attending those functions would be good to help show that our judges are warm, caring people. Heartily, I appreciate having been able to attend, and am thankful that the new Judge let me share all of that with you.

(Honestly, though, can we put forward a motion in the city hall to rename the ‘investiture ceremonies' to ‘knighting ceremonies’? We could call them ‘knight-judge’ too.)

There is no more perfect closing to this article than that which the Honorable Philip K. Kleine wrote to begin this next phase of his life:

“A special thank you to the three most important people in my life: my two children, Philly and Cam, as well as my wife, who made it all possible.”

Austin Petak is an aspiring novelist and freelance journalist who loves seeking stories and the quiet passions of the soul. If you are interested in reaching out to him to cover a story, you may find him at austinpetak@gmail.com.