Nebraska Gov. Pete Ricketts has appointed new judges for the county and district courts serving the 11th Judicial District.

Patrick Heng of North Platte was appointed to the district court bench, and Tanya Roberts-Connick of North Platte was appointed to the county court bench.

The territory covered by the 11th Judicial District is Arthur, Chase, Dawson, Dundy, Frontier, Furnas, Gosper, Hayes, Hitchcock, Hooker, Keith, Lincoln, Logan, McPherson, Perkins, Red Willow, and Thomas counties.

Heng, 63, has practiced law in North Platte for over a decade, according to a news release.

Heng was a partner of Waite, McWha, & Heng from 2011 to 2019 and then opened Patrick M. Heng Law Office in 2020.  Prior to practicing law in North Platte, Heng was a partner at Raynor, Rensch & Pfeiffer in Omaha from 1987 to 2011 and worked as a deputy county attorney in Lancaster County from 1984 to 1987.

Heng has experience with general litigation and family law. He’s been a court-appointed and private criminal and juvenile attorney, and he’s handled divorce and child custody cases, appeal cases, collections, and contract disputes.

Heng holds a Bachelor of Arts in history from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and a Juris Doctor from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln College of Law.

Heng regularly reviews pro bono and reduced-fee cases from the Nebraska Bar Association, taking on cases in his areas of law.

Roberts-Connick, 47, has worked in the Lincoln County Attorney’s Office since 2000, according to a news release.

Roberts-Connick was a deputy county attorney from 2000 to 2012, with experience in child support enforcement. Since April 2012, she has been Lincoln County’s chief deputy county attorney, represented the State of Nebraska in criminal, juvenile, and mental health board proceedings as well as having responsibility to supervise and train staff. 

From 1998 to 2000, she worked as a law clerk for the Nebraska State Patrol.

Roberts-Connick holds a Bachelor of Arts in psychology from Nebraska Wesleyan University and a Juris Doctor from the Nebraska College of Law.  

Since 2017, Roberts-Connick has served on the Nebraska Attorney General’s Office Human Trafficking Task Force as lead for the 27-county West Region.  She’s also been a member of Lincoln County’s Coordinated Response Team for Domestic Violence, Sexual Assault Response Team, and Human Trafficking Task Force. 

Heng fills the vacancy created by the retirement of Judge David W. Urbom.   Roberts-Connick fills the vacancy created by the resignation of Judge Kent Turnbull.