Nebraska Supreme Court
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The Nebraska Supreme Court is the highest court in the U.S. state of Nebraska.[1]
Jurisdiction
The Supreme Court has discretionary jurisdiction over the Court of Appeals, and mandatory jurisdiction over cases involving capital cases, or cases involving the death penalty, and cases determining the constitutionality of state statutes. In addition, the court can hear cases that are either removed from or bypass the Court of Appeals by "petition of further review."[2]
Case load
In 2007, 252 total cases were disposed by the Nebraska Supreme Court.[3]
The court's justices
Selection of justices
The Court consists of a Chief Justice and six Associate Justices. The six Justices each represent a Supreme Court district. If a position becomes vacant, the judicial nominating commission, made up of four lawyers and four non-lawyers, holds a hearing to select potential candidates. The commission then submits two names to the Nebraska Governor, who then determines the replacing judge. If the Governor does not follow through with this responsibility within 60 days of receiving the nominees, the responsibility then goes to Chief Justice of the state Supreme Court.[4] To retain the office, a judge must run in a retention election in the first general election that occurs after more than three years of serving in the office. Additionally, the judge must run every six years to retain his seat. When a judge runs for retention in office, the question presented on the voters’ ballots states: “Shall Judge___________be retained in office?” If the judge receives less than 50% of the affirmative vote, the judge is not retained. There is no mandatory retirement age for Nebraska judges, but they are granted retirement at age 65 or earlier, if it is due to disability.[5]
Qualifications
Applicants for positions on all levels of Nebraska courts must meet a number of requirements in order to be appointed to office. Each person must be a U.S. citizen, be at least 30 years of age, and have practiced law a minimum of five years in the State of Nebraska. The person must also be currently admitted to practice before the Nebraska Supreme Court.[6] For the Nebraska Judicial Nominating Commission manual, click here.
Current justices
Current members of Nebraska Supreme Court are:
| Name | Elected/Appointed | Term expires | District | Appointing Governor | Appointing Governor's Political Affiliation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chief Justice Mike Heavican | October 2006 | 2010 | - | Gov. Dave Heineman | Republican |
| Kenneth Stephan | March 1997 | 2012 | District 1 | Gov. Ben Nelson | Democrat |
| Lindsey Miller-Lerman | September 1998 | 2014 | District 2 | Gov. Ben Nelson | Democrat |
| John Gerrard | July 1995 | 2010 | District 3 | Gov. Ben Nelson | Democrat |
| Michael McCormack | March 1997 | 2012 | District 4 | Gov. Ben Nelson | Democrat |
| William Connolly | December 1994 | 2010 | District 5 | Gov. Ben Nelson | Democrat |
| John Wright | February 1994 | 2010 | District 6 | Gov. Ben Nelson | Democrat |
Chief justice
Mike Heavican is the Chief Justice of the Nebraska Supreme Court. He was appointed to the court by Gov. Dave Heineman, a Republican, and assumed office as the court's presiding justice on October 2, 2006. His current term expires in 2010. The Chief Justice is appointed (and retained) at-large.
History of the court
The court is housed in the Nebraska State Capitol on the second floor.[7]
Retention vote in 2008
In 2008, Justice Lindsey Miller-Lerman was retained with over 50% of the vote as Associate Justice for the Nebraska Supreme Court.[8]
External links
References
Portions of this article have been taken from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Copyright Notice can be found here.
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The Nebraska Project on Judgepedia
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