Reviewed and updated October 9, 2026 by the SearchSystems.net editorial team. The arrest counts are the ones each agency reported to the FBI, as the FBI held them on October 8, 2026. Every office link was opened and checked against the office's own site between September 24, 2026 and September 30, 2026.
Kearney, Nebraska, in Buffalo County, has about 35,000 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate). Its court cases are filed in the Buffalo County District Court and the County Court, and the file of each case, kept by the Clerk of the District Court, is the public record of it. This guide says which court hears what, where to look a case up and who keeps the files.
This guide covers the courts, the records page, criminal cases, kinds of files and common questions.
Related guides: Kearney public records, Buffalo County court records, Kearney arrest records, Kearney warrants, Kearney inmate search, Kearney criminal records, Nebraska arrest records and Nebraska inmate search.
The Courts That Hear Cases from Kearney
In Kearney, the Buffalo County District Court hears felonies, the larger civil cases and divorces.
Below it, the County Court takes misdemeanors, traffic cases, probate, small claims and juvenile matters.
Divorces go to the District Court, and the file stays with the Clerk of the District Court.
The Clerk of the District Court keeps the files, and a copy of anything in a file comes from that office, under the court's own rules rather than the Nebraska Public Records Statutes.
Looking Up a Case from Kearney
The court records page SearchSystems verified for the county is at nebraskajudicial.gov/courts/buffalo-county-court (page title: Buffalo County Court | Nebraska Judicial Branch), phone 308-236-1228, which answered when SearchSystems opened it on September 24, 2026. That page belongs to a lower court, the County Court, not to the Buffalo County District Court.
Statewide, Nebraska Trial Court Case Search is the Nebraska Judicial Branch's statewide case search, with a fee per search.
The Nebraska court page SearchSystems verified is at nebraskajudicial.gov/e-services/case-information-eservices.
What Reaches the Court from Kearney
Together, the three agencies in Buffalo County with all twelve months of 2025 on file reported 2,000 arrests to the FBI that year; the County Attorney decides which of those arrests become cases in the Buffalo County District Court or the County Court.
The County Attorney's page SearchSystems verified is at buffalocounty.ne.gov/county-offices/attorney (page title: Attorney | Buffalo County, NE), phone 308.236.1222, Monday - Friday, 8:00am to 5:00pm, which answered when SearchSystems opened it on September 30, 2026.
The Kinds of Court Files
The court file is one record with several readers: a criminal case from the arrest to the sentence, a divorce from the petition to the judgment, a traffic ticket from the citation to the conviction the court reports to the Nebraska Department of Motor Vehicles, and an eviction or a lien on land.
The other Kearney guides take the kinds of file one at a time: Kearney criminal records, Kearney traffic tickets, Kearney DUI and Kearney property records.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I look up a court case in Kearney?
The court records page SearchSystems verified for the county is at nebraskajudicial.gov, phone 308-236-1228; it belongs to a lower court, the County Court, not to the Buffalo County District Court. Statewide, Nebraska Trial Court Case Search is the Nebraska Judicial Branch's statewide case search, with a fee per search.
Which court hears felonies in Kearney?
The Buffalo County District Court, which hears felonies, the larger civil cases and divorces. The County Court takes misdemeanors, traffic cases, probate, small claims and juvenile matters.
Who keeps the court records in Kearney?
The Clerk of the District Court. Copies come from that office under the court's own rules.
Is there a statewide court case search in Nebraska?
Yes: Nebraska Trial Court Case Search, the Nebraska Judicial Branch's statewide case search, with a fee per search.
Is this the official Kearney website?
No. SearchSystems.net is an independent public records guide, online since 1997. It links to the official city, county, court and state offices described above and does not hold records, charge for them or take requests.