The Hon. Karin L. Noakes is a judge for the 8th Judicial District Court of Nebraska. She was appointed to the bench by former Governor Dave Heineman in 2006.
The 8th Judicial District encompasses Blaine, Boyd, Brown, Cherry, Custer, Garfield, Greeley, Holt, Howard, Loup, Keya Paha, Rock, Sherman, Valley, and Wheeler Counties. Over the course of her judicial career, Noakes has held assignments on the North Central Problem Solving Court.
Prior to her appointment, Noakes was the County Attorney for Howard County, a position to which she was named in 1999. She also spent time as a village attorney for the Village of Greeley (2004 to 2006), a city attorney for the City of St. Paul (2002 to 2006), and a county attorney for Greeley County (2003 to 2006).
Noakes earned a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln in 1990. She then completed a J.D. at the University of Nebraska College of Law in 1993.
After graduating from law school, Noakes entered into private practice. She supplemented her practice with service as a deputy public defender for Madison County as well as a deputy county attorney for Hall County and Platte County.
Her memberships have included the Nebraska State Bar Association and the Nebraska District Judges Association. She has also been involved with the Central Nebraska Council on Alcoholism and the Howard & Greeley County Child Abuse Treatment Team.