List of justices of the Nebraska Supreme Court

Last updated

Following is a list of justices of the Nebraska Supreme Court :

Contents

Territorial Supreme Court justices

  Indicates Territorial Chief Justice

JudgeBegan active
service		Ended active
service
Fenner Ferguson 18541857
Edward R. Harden 18541860
James Bradley 18541857
John Curtiss Underwood 1857 [1] 1857
Samuel W. Black 18571859
Eleazer Wakeley 18571861
Augustus Hall 18581861
Joseph Miller 18591860
William Pitt Kellogg 18611865 [2]
William F. Lockwood 18611867
Joseph E. Streeter 18611863
Elmer S. Dundy 18631867
William Kellogg 18651867

State Supreme Court chief justices

Oliver Perry Mason, first Chief Justice of the Nebraska Supreme Court Oliver P. Mason Nebraska.jpg
Oliver Perry Mason, first Chief Justice of the Nebraska Supreme Court
Robert G. Simmons, longest-serving Chief Justice of the Nebraska Supreme Court RobertGSimmons.jpg
Robert G. Simmons, longest-serving Chief Justice of the Nebraska Supreme Court
Chief JusticeBegan serviceEnded serviceSeat/districtAppointed by
Oliver P. Mason 1867 [3] 1873Seat IElected
George B. Lake 1873 [4] 1878 [5] Seat II
Daniel Gantt 1878 [4] 1878 [6] Seat I
Samuel Maxwell 1878 [4] 1882 [5] Seat III
George B. Lake 1882 [7] 1884Seat II
Amasa Cobb 1884 [4] 1886 [5] Seat I
Samuel Maxwell 1886 [7] 1888 [5] Seat III
Manoah B. Reese 1888 [4] 1890 [8] Seat II
Amasa Cobb 1890 [7] 1892Seat I
Samuel Maxwell 1892 [9] 1894Seat III
T. L. Norval 1894 [4] 1896 [5] Seat II
Alfred M. Post 1896 [4] 1898Seat I
T. O. C. Harrison 1898 [4] 1900Seat III
T. L. Norval 1900 [7] 1902Seat II
John Joseph Sullivan 1902 [4] 1904Seat I
Silas A. Holcomb 1904 [4] 1906Seat III
Samuel H. Sedgwick 1906 [4] 1908 [10] Seat II
John B. Barnes 19081909 [5] Seat I
Manoah B. Reese 1909 [7] 1915At Large Ashton C. Shallenberger
Conrad Hollenbeck 1915 [6] [11] 1915At Large John H. Morehead
Jacob Fawcett 1915 [12] 1915At Large(pro tempore)
Andrew M. Morrissey 1915 [13] 1927At Large John H. Morehead
Charles A. Goss 19271938 [6] At Large Adam McMullen
Robert G. Simmons 1939 [14] 1963At Large Robert Leroy Cochran
Paul W. White 19631978 [15] At Large Frank Morrison
Harry A. Spencer 19781978 [16] At Large(pro tempore)
Norman Krivosha 1978 [17] 1987 [18] At Large Jim Exon
William C. Hastings 1987 [19] 1995 [15] At Large Kay Orr
C. Thomas White 1995 [20] 1998 [15] At Large Ben Nelson
John V. Hendry 1998 [21] 2006 [15] At Large
Michael Heavican 2006 [22] 2024At Large Dave Heineman
Jeffrey J. Funke 2024 [23] IncumbentAt Large Jim Pillen

All State Supreme Court justices

  Indicates Service as Chief Justice for All or Part of Tenure

JudgeBegan serviceEnded serviceSeat/districtAppointed by
William A. Little [24] --Seat IElected [25]
Oliver P. Mason 1867 [3] 1873Seat I
George B. Lake 18671884Seat II
Lorenzo Crounse 18671873Seat III
Daniel Gantt 18731878Seat I
Samuel Maxwell 18731894Seat III
Amasa Cobb 1878 [26] 1892Seat I
Manoah B. Reese 18841890Seat II
T. L. Norval 18901902Seat II
Alfred M. Post 18921898Seat I
T. O. C. Harrison 18941900Seat III
John Joseph Sullivan 18981904Seat I
Silas A. Holcomb 19001906Seat III
Samuel H. Sedgwick 19021908Seat II
John B. Barnes 19041909Seat I
Charles B. Letton 19061925Seat III / District 3Elected [25] /
Ashton C. Shallenberger
Manoah B. Reese 1908 [27] 1915Seat II / CJ
James R. Dean 1909 [28] 1910 [29] District 2 Ashton C. Shallenberger
Jesse L. Root 1909 [28] 1911District 5
Jacob Fawcett [30] 1909 [28] 1917District 6
William B. Rose 1909 [28] 1943District 1
John B. Barnes 1909 [31] 1917District 4
Samuel H. Sedgwick 1910 [32] 1919 [6] District 2
Francis G. Hamer 19111918 [6] District 5 Chester H. Aldrich
Conrad Hollenbeck 1915 [6] [11] 1915CJ John H. Morehead
Andrew M. Morrissey 1915 [33] 1927CJ
Albert J. Cornish 19171920 [6] District 4 Keith Neville
James R. Dean 1917 [34] 1935District 6
Chester Hardy Aldrich 1918 [35] 1924 [6] District 5
Leonard A. Flansburg 1920 [36] 1923District 4 Samuel R. McKelvie
George A. Day 1920 [37] 1927 [6] District 2
Edward E. Good 19231937 [6] District 4 Charles Bryan
William Henry Thompson 1924 [38] 1931District 5
Robert E. Evans 19251925 [6] District 3 Adam McMullen
George A. Eberly 1925 [39] 1943District 3
Charles A. Goss 19271938 [6] CJ
Francis S. Howell 1928 [40] 1929District 2
L. B. Day 19291938 [6] District 2 Arthur J. Weaver
Bayard H. Paine 19311949District 5 Charles Bryan
Edward F. Carter 19351971District 6 Robert Leroy Cochran
Frederick Messmore 1937 [41] 1965District 4
Harvey M. Johnsen 1939 [42] 1940District 2
Robert G. Simmons 1939 [14] 1963CJ
John W. Yeager 1941 [43] 1965District 2
E. B. Chappell 19431961District 1 Dwight Griswold
Adolph E. Wenke 19431961 [6] District 3
Paul E. Boslaugh 19491961District 5 Val Peterson
Harry A. Spencer [16] 19611979 [15] District 1 Frank Morrison
Leslie Boslaugh 19611994 [15] District 5
Robert C. Brower 1961 [44] 1967District 3
Paul W. White 19631978 [15] CJ
Hale McCown 1965 [17] 1983 [15] District 4
Robert L. Smith 1965 [17] 1973 [15] District 2
John E. Newton 1967 [17] 1977 [15] District 3 Norbert Tiemann
Lawrence M. Clinton 1971 [17] 1982 [6] District 6 Jim Exon
Donald Brodkey 1974 [17] 1982 [15] District 2
C. Thomas White 1977 [45] 1998District 3 / CJ Jim Exon / Ben Nelson
Norman Krivosha 1978 [17] 1987 [18] CJ Jim Exon
William C. Hastings 1979 [46] 1995District 1 / CJ Charles Thone / Kay Orr
D. Nick Caporale 1982 [47] 1998 [15] District 2 Charles Thone
Thomas M. Shanahan 1983 [48] 1993 [49] District 6 Bob Kerrey
John T. Grant 1983 [50] 1993 [15] District 4
Dale E. Fahrnbruch 1987 [51] 1996 [15] District 1 Kay Orr
David J. Lanphier 1993 [52] 1997 [53] District 4 Ben Nelson
John F. Wright 1994 [54] 2018 [55] [6] District 6
William M. Connolly 1994 [56] 2016District 5
John M. Gerrard 1995 [57] 2012District 3
Kenneth C. Stephan 1997 [58] 2015District 1
Michael McCormack 1997 [59] 2016District 4
John V. Hendry 1998 [60] 2006 [15] CJ
Lindsey Miller-Lerman 1998 [61] 2025District 2
Michael G. Heavican 2006 [22] 2024CJ Dave Heineman
William B. Cassel 2012 [62] IncumbentDistrict 3
Stephanie F. Stacy 2015IncumbentDistrict 1 Pete Ricketts
Max J. Kelch 20162018 [63] District 4
Jeffrey J. Funke 2016IncumbentDistrict 5 / CJ Pete Ricketts / Jim Pillen
Jonathan Papik 2018 [64] IncumbentDistrict 4 Pete Ricketts
John Freudenberg 2018 [65] IncumbentDistrict 6
Jason Bergevin 2025 [66] IncumbentDistrict 5 Jim Pillen

Information Gathered from Slipping Backward: A History of the Nebraska Supreme Court, the Nebraska Blue Book, and History of Nebraska By Morton & Watkins

References

  1. ↑ Listed as an associate judge of the Supreme Court in Complete Session Laws, 1855-87, Vol. 1, Page 370. Declined appointment and did not serve.
  2. ↑ Granted leave of absence by President Lincoln to join the 7th Illinois Cavalry. Served as colonel in the regiment from Sept. 8, 1861, to June 1, 1862. Resigned as territorial chief justice in 1865.
  3. 1 2 Appointed in 1867; elected in 1868.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 Named Chief Justice
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Returned to being Associate Justice
  6. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 Died while in office.
  7. 1 2 3 4 5 Named Chief Justice a second time
  8. ↑ Served Again 1908-1915
  9. ↑ Named Chief Justice a Third Time
  10. ↑ Served again 1910-1919
  11. 1 2 Served from Jan. 7 to 21, 1915; died Jan. 21, 1915.
  12. ↑ Acting Chief Justice Jan. 21 to 25, 1915.
  13. ↑ Appointed Chief Justice Jan. 25, 1915, to fill vacancy created by death of Chief Justice Hollenbeck.
  14. 1 2 Appointed Nov. 12, 1938, to fill vacancy created by death of Chief Justice Goss. Term began Jan. 5, 1939.
  15. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 Retired.
  16. 1 2 Served as Chief Justice pro tempore from Sept. 18 to Dec. 22, 1978.
  17. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Appointed to fill vacancy.
  18. 1 2 Resigned July 31, 1987.
  19. ↑ Named Chief Justice Sept. 2, 1987, following resignation of Chief Justice Krivosha.
  20. ↑ Named Chief Justice Jan. 26, 1995, to replace retiring Chief Justice Hastings.
  21. ↑ Appointed Aug. 5, 1998, to replace retiring Chief Justice C. Thomas White.
  22. 1 2 Appointed Oct. 1, 2006, to replace retiring Chief Justice Hendry.
  23. ↑ Pilger, Lori (October 25, 2024), "Gov. Pillen announces pick for next Nebraska Supreme Court chiefjustice", Lincoln Journal Star, retrieved October 25, 2024
  24. ↑ Elected in 1867 but died before he qualified.
  25. 1 2 Under the Nebraska Constitutions of 1866 and 1875, Supreme Court justices were elected by electors and not appointed by the Governor.
  26. ↑ Appointed in 1878 to fill vacancy created by death of Chief Justice Gantt, then elected 1879.
  27. ↑ Served Previously 1884-1890
  28. 1 2 3 4 Constitutional amendment approved in 1908 increased number of Supreme Court judges from three to seven. The governor appointed four judges, two to serve until successors were elected in the 1909 general election, and the other two to serve until successors were elected in the 1911 general election.
  29. ↑ Served again from 1917-1935
  30. ↑ Acting chief justice Jan. 21 to 25, 1915.
  31. ↑ Was previously Chief Justice
  32. ↑ Served Previously 1902-1908
  33. ↑ Appointed chief justice Jan. 25, 1915, to fill vacancy created by death of Chief Justice Hollenbeck.
  34. ↑ Served Previously 1909-1910
  35. ↑ Appointed Nov. 16, 1918, to fill vacancy created by death of Judge Hamer. Aldrich died March 10, 1924.
  36. ↑ Appointed April 21, 1920, to fill vacancy created by death of Judge Cornish.
  37. ↑ Appointed Jan. 8, 1920, to fill vacancy created by death of Judge Sedgwick. Judge Day died Dec. 20, 1927.
  38. ↑ Appointed April 15, 1924, to fill vacancy created by death of Judge Aldrich.
  39. ↑ Appointed July 24, 1925, to fill vacancy created by death of Judge Evans.
  40. ↑ Appointed Dec. 29, 1927, to fill vacancy created by death of Judge George A. Day.
  41. ↑ Appointed Aug. 9, 1937, to fill vacancy created by death of Judge Good.
  42. ↑ Appointed Nov. 28, 1938, to fill vacancy created by death of Judge L. B. Day. Term began Jan. 3, 1939. Resigned Nov. 8, 1940, upon appointment to the United States Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit.
  43. ↑ Appointed Nov. 18, 1940, to fill vacancy created by resignation of Judge Johnsen.
  44. ↑ Appointed March 13, 1961, to fill vacancy created by death of Judge Wenke.
  45. ↑ Appointed Jan. 6, 1977, to replace retiring Judge Newton.
  46. ↑ Appointed Jan. 31, 1979, to replace retiring Judge Spencer.
  47. ↑ Appointed Dec. 21, 1981, to replace retiring Judge Brodkey.
  48. ↑ Appointed March 24, 1983, to fill vacancy created by death of Judge Clinton.
  49. ↑ Resigned to serve on the United States District Court for the District of Nebraska.
  50. ↑ Appointed Sept. 1, 1983, to replace retiring Judge McCown.
  51. ↑ Appointed Nov. 13, 1987, to fill vacancy created when Judge Hastings was named chief justice.
  52. ↑ Appointed Oct. 14, 1992, to replace retiring Judge Grant.
  53. ↑ Voters removed Judge Lanphier from the bench in 1996.
  54. ↑ Appointed Jan. 27, 1994, to replace Judge Shanahan, who resigned to serve on the United States District Court for the District of Nebraska.
  55. ↑ Pilger, Lori. "Nebraska Supreme Court Justice John Wright dies following lengthy illness". JournalStar.com.
  56. ↑ Appointed Nov. 17, 1994, to replace retiring Judge Leslie Boslaugh.
  57. ↑ Appointed April 20, 1995, to fill vacancy created when Judge C. Thomas White was named chief justice.
  58. ↑ Appointed Jan. 27, 1997, to replace retiring Judge Farhnbruch.
  59. ↑ Appointed Jan. 28, 1997, to fill vacancy created when voters removed Judge Lanphier from the bench.
  60. ↑ Appointed chief justice Aug. 5, 1998, to replace retiring Chief Justice C. Thomas White.
  61. ↑ Appointed Aug. 5, 1998, to replace retiring Judge Caporale.
  62. ↑ Appointed April 26, 2012, to fill vacancy created by appointment of John M. Gerrard to the United States District Court for the District of Nebraska.
  63. ↑ "Nebraska Supreme Court judge resigned after ethics complaint; sexual comments emerge | State and Regional News | omaha.com".
  64. ↑ Pilger, Lori. "Ricketts' pick for Nebraska Supreme Court 'operating on higher level,' colleague says". JournalStar.com.
  65. ↑ Johnson, Riley. "Newly appointed Lancaster County judge tapped for seat on Nebraska Supreme Court". JournalStar.com.
  66. ↑ Wendling, Zach (January 2, 2025), "Pillen appoints associate justice to Nebraska Supreme Court", Nebraska Examiner, retrieved January 3, 2025
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