(AP) — The Ponca Tribe of Nebraska is establishing a new appellate court to hear cases in its 15-county service area.

The tribe will welcome three new judges at a swearing-in ceremony on Feb. 27. Chief Justice Mary Jo Hunter and judges Eldena Bear Don’t Walk and Richard McGee will take their oath at 9 a.m. at the Fred LeRoy Health and Wellness Center in Omaha.

The judges were selected by the Ponca Tribal Council. The tribe has previously relied on the Northern Plains Intertribal Court of Appeals for appeals from the Ponca Tribal Court.

The tribe’s service area includes Boyd, Burt, Douglas, Hall, Holt, Knox, Lancaster, Madison, Platte, Sarpy, Stanton and Wayne counties in Nebraska; Pottawattamie and Woodbury counties in Iowa; and Charles Mix County in South Dakota.