The process is under way to fill a vacancy created when voters ousted a judge who was criticized for sentencing a 5-foot-1 sex offender to probation and mentioning his height.

Voters decided in November not to retain Cheyenne County District Judge Kristine Cecava. In 2006, she was criticized for the probation sentence she handed down although appeals courts later upheld it.

State officials are accepting applications from candidates interested in filling the 12th Judicial District seat. The district spans 12 counties in the Nebraska Panhandle.

A hearing will be held on Jan. 29 in Gering, and the applications will be evaluated. Then several names will be forwarded to the governor to appoint a new judge.