Nebraska Court of Appeals

The Nebraska Supreme Court was bogged down with so many cases that in 1990, the state Legislature decided to amend their Constitution and add a Court of Appeals to take on the backlog. It began service in 1991. The Nebraska Court of Appeals has six judges who are appointed by the state Governor. The Governor picks from a list created by the judicial nominating commission. The Supreme Court selects a Chief Judge, and they serve a two-year term. Along with their judicial duties, they also have supervisory and administrative responsibilities. The main courthouse for Nebraska’s Court of Appeals is in Lincoln, the State Capitol. However, they do travel to other areas of the state to hear appeals. The Court of Appeals consists of two panels with three judges each. Judges are rotated among the two panels for fairness and equality of the cases. All appeal cases except those that involve the death penalty or life in prison go to the Court of Appeals. The Supreme Court handles those two exceptions. If someone wants to bypass the Court of Appeals and go directly to the Supreme Court, they may request a review, but the Supreme Court rarely approves such action. In most cases, the Court of Appeals decision is final. All lower courts and administrative agency appeals go to the Court of Appeals. The Nebraska Judicial Branch website has additional information on each judge, and contact details for the Court of Appeals Clerk. The website also shows recently posted opinions and a schedule for oral arguments. Oral arguments are open to the public for viewing. Additionally, the Court of Appeals has an exciting outreach program for college students called the “College Campus Initiative” where they visit college campuses and hold real oral arguments to educate students on the appeals process.

Courts in Nebraska