Judges appointed by Dave Heineman
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This page lists judges appointed by David Heineman (R) during their term as Governor of Nebraska. As of today, the total number of Heineman appointees was 50. For the full profile of Heineman, click here.
Ballotpedia provides comprehensive coverage of the 100 largest cities in America by population. Some Nebraska judges are outside of that coverage scope. As a result, this page does not provide an exhaustive list of all judges appointed by Gov. Heineman.
Appointment process
In Nebraska, the governor makes a judicial appointment after candidates are recommended by a judicial nominating commission. After the governor appoints a judge, she or he must run for retention in the next general election more than three years after taking office.[1][2]
Appointed judges
The tables below list the governor's appointees to the courts across the state.
State Courts
Supreme Court
| Name | Court | Active |
|---|---|---|
|
Nebraska Supreme Court Chief Justice |
October 2, 2006 - October 31, 2024 |
|
|
Nebraska Supreme Court District 3 |
May 9, 2012 - Present |
Court of Appeals
| Name | Court | Active |
|---|---|---|
|
Nebraska Court of Appeals District 1 |
July 19, 2013 - Present |
|
|
Nebraska Court of Appeals District 2 |
June 24, 2011 - Present |
|
|
Nebraska Court of Appeals District 3 |
August 23, 2012 - Present |
Other State Courts
| Name | Court | Active |
|---|---|---|
|
Nebraska Workers' Compensation Court |
2011 - Present |
|
|
Nebraska Workers' Compensation Court |
2014 - Present |
Local Courts
| Name | Court | Active |
|---|---|---|
|
Nebraska 10th Judicial District County Court |
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|
Nebraska 10th Judicial District County Court |
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Nebraska 11th District Court |
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Nebraska 11th Judicial District County Court |
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Nebraska 11th Judicial District County Court |
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|
Nebraska 12th District Court |
||
|
Nebraska 12th Judicial District County Court |
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|
Nebraska 12th Judicial District County Court |
2009 - August 31, 2022 |
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|
Nebraska 12th Judicial District County Court |
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|
Nebraska 1st Judicial District County Court |
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|
Nebraska 2nd District Court |
2013 - 2016 |
|
|
Nebraska 2nd Judicial District County Court |
2007 - 2013 |
|
|
Nebraska 3rd District Court |
2011 - 2015 |
|
|
Nebraska 3rd District Court |
||
|
Nebraska 3rd District Court |
2006 - Present |
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Nebraska 3rd District Court |
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|
Nebraska 3rd Judicial District County Court |
2013 - Present |
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Nebraska 3rd Judicial District County Court |
2012 - Present |
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Nebraska 3rd Judicial District County Court |
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|
Nebraska 3rd Judicial District County Court |
||
|
Nebraska 4th District Court |
||
|
Nebraska 4th District Court |
2012 - Present |
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Nebraska 4th District Court |
2011 - Present |
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Nebraska 4th District Court |
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Nebraska 4th District Court |
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Nebraska 4th District Court |
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Nebraska 4th Judicial District County Court |
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Nebraska 4th Judicial District County Court |
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|
Nebraska 4th Judicial District County Court |
2013 - 2023 |
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|
Nebraska 4th Judicial District County Court |
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|
Nebraska 4th Judicial District County Court |
2011 - Present |
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|
Nebraska 5th District Court |
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Nebraska 5th District Court |
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Nebraska 5th Judicial District County Court |
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Nebraska 5th Judicial District County Court |
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Nebraska 6th District Court |
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Nebraska 6th District Court |
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Nebraska 7th District Court |
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Nebraska 7th Judicial District County Court |
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Nebraska 8th Judicial District County Court |
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Nebraska 8th Judicial District County Court |
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Nebraska 8th Judicial District County Court |
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|
Nebraska 9th District Court |
2015 - September 1, 2021 |
Judicial selection process
- See also: Judicial selection in Nebraska
| Judicial selection in Nebraska | |
 | |
| Nebraska Supreme Court | |
| Method: | Assisted appointment |
| Term: | 3 or 6 years[3] |
| Nebraska Court of Appeals | |
| Method: | Assisted appointment |
| Term: | 3 or 6 years[3] |
| Nebraska District Courts | |
| Method: | Assisted appointment |
| Term: | 3 or 6 years[3] |
Judicial selection refers to the process used to select judges for courts. At the state level, methods of judicial selection vary substantially in the United States, and in some cases between different court types within a state. There are six primary types of judicial selection: partisan and nonpartisan elections, the Michigan method, assisted appointment, gubernatorial appointment, and legislative elections. To read more about how these selection methods are used across the country, click here.
This article covers how state court judges are selected in Nebraska, including:
- Nebraska Supreme Court,
- Nebraska Court of Appeals,
- Nebraska District Courts, and
- Limited jurisdiction courts
As of April 2025, all Nebraska judges were selected through the assisted appointment method, where the governor selects a nominee from a list provided by a nominating commission.
Click here to notify us of changes to judicial selection methods in this state.
| Appellate state court selection in the United States, by general selection method[4] |
|---|
|
|
| State courts and their selection methods across the U.S., including the District of Columbia[4] | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Method | Supreme Court (of 53)[5] | Courts of Appeal (of 46) | Trial Courts (of 147) |
| Partisan elections (PE) | 8 | 6 | 39 |
| Nonpartisan elections (NPE) | 13 | 16 | 34 |
| Legislative elections (LE) | 2 | 2 | 5 |
| Gubernatorial appointment of judges (GA) | 5 | 3 | 6 |
| Assisted appointment (AA) | 22 | 18 | 46 |
| Combination or other | 3[6] | 1[7] | 17[8] |
State profile
| Demographic data for Nebraska | ||
|---|---|---|
| Nebraska | U.S. | |
| Total population: | 1,893,765 | 316,515,021 |
| Land area (sq mi): | 76,824 | 3,531,905 |
| Race and ethnicity** | ||
| White: | 88.1% | 73.6% |
| Black/African American: | 4.7% | 12.6% |
| Asian: | 2% | 5.1% |
| Native American: | 0.9% | 0.8% |
| Pacific Islander: | 0.1% | 0.2% |
| Two or more: | 2.2% | 3% |
| Hispanic/Latino: | 10% | 17.1% |
| Education | ||
| High school graduation rate: | 90.7% | 86.7% |
| College graduation rate: | 29.3% | 29.8% |
| Income | ||
| Median household income: | $52,997 | $53,889 |
| Persons below poverty level: | 14.6% | 11.3% |
| Source: U.S. Census Bureau, "American Community Survey" (5-year estimates 2010-2015) Click here for more information on the 2020 census and here for more on its impact on the redistricting process in Nebraska. **Note: Percentages for race and ethnicity may add up to more than 100 percent because respondents may report more than one race and the Hispanic/Latino ethnicity may be selected in conjunction with any race. Read more about race and ethnicity in the census here. | ||
Presidential voting pattern
- See also: Presidential voting trends in Nebraska
Nebraska voted Republican in all seven presidential elections between 2000 and 2024.
Pivot Counties (2016)
Ballotpedia identified 206 counties that voted for Donald Trump (R) in 2016 after voting for Barack Obama (D) in 2008 and 2012. Collectively, Trump won these Pivot Counties by more than 580,000 votes. Of these 206 counties, one is located in Nebraska, accounting for 0.5 percent of the total pivot counties.[9]
Pivot Counties (2020)
In 2020, Ballotpedia re-examined the 206 Pivot Counties to view their voting patterns following that year's presidential election. Ballotpedia defined those won by Trump won as Retained Pivot Counties and those won by Joe Biden (D) as Boomerang Pivot Counties. Nationwide, there were 181 Retained Pivot Counties and 25 Boomerang Pivot Counties. Nebraska had one Retained Pivot County, 0.55 percent of all Retained Pivot Counties.
More Nebraska coverage on Ballotpedia
- Elections in Nebraska
- United States congressional delegations from Nebraska
- Public policy in Nebraska
- Endorsers in Nebraska
- Nebraska fact checks
- More...
See also
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ American Judicature Society, "Methods of Judicial Selection: Nebraska," archived October 2, 2014
- ↑ American Judicature Society, "Methods of Judicial Selection: Nebraska; Judicial Nominating Commissions," archived January 13, 2012
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Initial terms are at least three years. Subsequent terms are six years.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 American Judicature Society, "Methods of Judicial Selection," archived February 2, 2015
- ↑ Both Oklahoma and Texas have two state supreme courts: one for civil matters and one for criminal matters.
- ↑ Michigan and Ohio use nonpartisan general elections with candidates selected through partisan primaries or conventions. In the District of Columbia, judges are selected in the same manner as federal judges.
- ↑ Judges of the North Dakota Court of Appeals are appointed on an as-needed basis by the supreme court justices.
- ↑ Most courts that use combination/alternative methods (for example, mayoral appointment) are local level courts. These courts are often governed by selection guidelines that are unique to their specific region.
- ↑ The raw data for this study was provided by Dave Leip of Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections.
Federal courts:
Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals • U.S. District Court: District of Nebraska • U.S. Bankruptcy Court: District of Nebraska
State courts:
Nebraska Supreme Court • Nebraska Court of Appeals • Nebraska District Courts • Nebraska County Courts • Nebraska Separate Juvenile Courts • Nebraska Workers' Compensation Court • Nebraska Problem-Solving Courts
State resources:
Courts in Nebraska • Nebraska judicial elections • Judicial selection in Nebraska
