Following is a list of justices of the Nebraska Supreme Court:
Territorial Supreme Court justices
JudgeBegan activeserviceEnded activeservice1854185718541860185418571857Listed as an associate judge of the Supreme Court in Complete Session Laws, 1855-87, Vol. 1, Page 370. Declined appointment and did not serve.18571857185918571861185818611859186018611865Granted 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 1865.18611867186118631863186718651867
State Supreme Court chief justices
Chief JusticeBegan serviceEnded serviceSeat/districtAppointed by1867Appointed in 1867; elected in 1868.1873Seat IElected1873Named Chief Justice1878Returned to being Associate JusticeSeat II18781878Died while in office.Seat I18781882Seat III1882Named Chief Justice a second time1884Seat II18841886Seat I18861888Seat III18881890Served Again 1908-1915Seat II18901892Seat I1892Named Chief Justice a Third Time1894Seat III18941896Seat II18961898Seat I18981900Seat III19001902Seat II19021904Seat I19041906Seat III19061908Served again 1910-1919Seat II19081909Seat I19091915At LargeAshton C. Shallenberger1915Served from Jan. 7 to 21, 1915; died Jan. 21, 1915.1915At LargeJohn H. Morehead1915Acting Chief Justice Jan. 21 to 25, 1915.1915At Large(pro tempore)1915Appointed Chief Justice Jan. 25, 1915, to fill vacancy created by death of Chief Justice Hollenbeck.1927At LargeJohn H. Morehead19271938At LargeAdam McMullen1939Appointed Nov. 12, 1938, to fill vacancy created by death of Chief Justice Goss. Term began Jan. 5, 1939.1963At LargeRobert Leroy Cochran19631978At LargeFrank Morrison19781978Served as Chief Justice pro tempore from Sept. 18 to Dec. 22, 1978.At Large(pro tempore)19781987Resigned July 31, 1987.At LargeJim Exon1987Named Chief Justice Sept. 2, 1987, following resignation of Chief Justice Krivosha.1995At LargeKay Orr1995Named Chief Justice Jan. 26, 1995, to replace retiring Chief Justice Hastings.1998At LargeBen Nelson1998Appointed Aug. 5, 1998, to replace retiring Chief Justice C. Thomas White.2006At Large2006Appointed Oct. 1, 2006, to replace retiring Chief Justice Hendry.2024At LargeDave Heineman2024IncumbentAt LargeJim Pillen
All State Supreme Court justices
JudgeBegan serviceEnded serviceSeat/districtAppointed byElected in 1867 but died before he qualified.--Seat IElectedUnder the Nebraska Constitutions of 1866 and 1875, Supreme Court justices were elected by electors and not appointed by the Governor.18671873Seat I18671884Seat II18671873Seat III18731878Seat I18731894Seat III1878Appointed in 1878 to fill vacancy created by death of Chief Justice Gantt, then elected 1879.1892Seat I18841890Seat II18901902Seat II18921898Seat I18941900Seat III18981904Seat I19001906Seat III19021908Seat II19041909Seat I19061925Seat III / District 3Elected / Ashton C. Shallenberger1908Served Previously 1884-18901915Seat II / CJ1909Constitutional 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.1910Served again from 1917-1935District 2Ashton C. Shallenberger19091911District 5Acting chief justice Jan. 21 to 25, 1915.19091917 District 619091943District 11909Was previously Chief Justice1917 District 41910Served Previously 1902-19081919District 219111918District 5Chester H. Aldrich19151915CJJohn H. Morehead1915Appointed chief justice Jan. 25, 1915, to fill vacancy created by death of Chief Justice Hollenbeck.1927CJ19171920District 4Keith Neville1917Served Previously 1909-19101935District 61918Appointed Nov. 16, 1918, to fill vacancy created by death of Judge Hamer. Aldrich died March 10, 1924.1924District 51920Appointed April 21, 1920, to fill vacancy created by death of Judge Cornish.1923District 4Samuel R. McKelvie1920Appointed Jan. 8, 1920, to fill vacancy created by death of Judge Sedgwick. Judge Day died Dec. 20, 1927.1927District 219231937District 4Charles Bryan1924Appointed April 15, 1924, to fill vacancy created by death of Judge Aldrich.1931District 519251925District 3Adam McMullen1925Appointed July 24, 1925, to fill vacancy created by death of Judge Evans.1943District 319271938CJ1928Appointed Dec. 29, 1927, to fill vacancy created by death of Judge George A. Day.1929District 219291938District 2Arthur J. Weaver19311949District 5Charles Bryan19351971District 6Robert Leroy Cochran1937Appointed Aug. 9, 1937, to fill vacancy created by death of Judge Good.1965District 41939Appointed 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.1940District 219391963CJ1941Appointed Nov. 18, 1940, to fill vacancy created by resignation of Judge Johnsen.1965District 219431961District 1Dwight Griswold19431961District 319491961District 5Val Peterson19611979District 1Frank Morrison19611994Retired.District 51961Appointed March 13, 1961, to fill vacancy created by death of Judge Wenke.1967District 319631978CJ1965Appointed to fill vacancy.1983District 419651973District 219671977District 3Norbert Tiemann19711982District 6Jim Exon19741982District 21977Appointed Jan. 6, 1977, to replace retiring Judge Newton.1998District 3 / CJJim Exon / Ben Nelson19781987CJJim Exon1979Appointed Jan. 31, 1979, to replace retiring Judge Spencer.1995District 1 / CJCharles Thone / Kay Orr1982Appointed Dec. 21, 1981, to replace retiring Judge Brodkey.1998District 2Charles Thone1983Appointed March 24, 1983, to fill vacancy created by death of Judge Clinton.1993Resigned to serve on the United States District Court for the District of Nebraska.District 6Bob Kerrey1983Appointed Sept. 1, 1983, to replace retiring Judge McCown.1993District 41987Appointed Nov. 13, 1987, to fill vacancy created when Judge Hastings was named chief justice.1996District 1Kay Orr1993Appointed Oct. 14, 1992, to replace retiring Judge Grant.1997Voters removed Judge Lanphier from the bench in 1996.District 4Ben Nelson1994Appointed Jan. 27, 1994, to replace Judge Shanahan, who resigned to serve on the United States District Court for the District of Nebraska.2018District 61994Appointed Nov. 17, 1994, to replace retiring Judge Leslie Boslaugh.2016District 51995Appointed April 20, 1995, to fill vacancy created when Judge C. Thomas White was named chief justice.2012District 31997Appointed Jan. 27, 1997, to replace retiring Judge Farhnbruch.2015District 11997Appointed Jan. 28, 1997, to fill vacancy created when voters removed Judge Lanphier from the bench.2016District 41998Appointed chief justice Aug. 5, 1998, to replace retiring Chief Justice C. Thomas White.2006CJ1998Appointed Aug. 5, 1998, to replace retiring Judge Caporale.2025District 220062024CJDave Heineman2012Appointed April 26, 2012, to fill vacancy created by appointment of John M. Gerrard to the United States District Court for the District of Nebraska.IncumbentDistrict 32015IncumbentDistrict 1Pete Ricketts20162018District 42016IncumbentDistrict 5 / CJPete Ricketts / Jim Pillen2018IncumbentDistrict 4Pete Ricketts2018IncumbentDistrict 62025IncumbentDistrict 5Jim Pillen2025IncumbentDistrict 2
Information Gathered from Slipping Backward: A History of the Nebraska Supreme Court, the Nebraska Blue Book, and History of Nebraska By Morton & Watkins
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