NORFOLK, Neb. (AP) – Three new judges will preside over the Ponca Tribe of Nebraska’s tribal court.

The judges took their oaths at a ceremony Friday in Norfolk.

Omaha attorney Patrick Runge will serve as the chief judge. Runge has worked with Native Americans since 1995, most recently as chief judge for the Winnebago Tribal Court.

Theresa Barr and Jeffrey Kurtz will serve as associate judges. Barr is a member of the Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation and worked in tribal law for six years. Kurtz is an enrolled member of the Iowa Tribe of Kansas and Nebraska, and has been a presiding judge for the Winnebago Tribal Court for the past five years.

Judges serve six-year terms. The Ponca Tribe has a 15-county service area that includes parts of Nebraska, Iowa and South Dakota.