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Nebraska Supreme Court justice vacancy (March 2018)
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| Wright Vacancy Nebraska Supreme Court |
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Selection process Media coverage About Justice Wright |
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| Recent news External links Footnotes |
Nebraska Supreme Court Justice John Wright passed away on March 18, 2018, leaving a vacancy on the Nebraska Supreme Court. Media outlets reported that Wright had battled a long illness. Wright was 72.[1]
Under Nebraska law, Wright's replacement was chosen by Gov. Pete Ricketts (R) from a list generated by a judicial nominating commission. Wright's replacement was Ricketts' fifth appointment to the seven-member supreme court.
The appointee
Justice John Freudenberg earned a B.A. in criminal justice with minors in legal studies and mathematics from Chadron State College and a J.D. from the University of Nebraska College of Law. At the time of his appointment to the Supreme Court, Freudenberg was a judge on the 3rd County Court Judicial District, serving Lancaster County in Nebraska. Prior to his service on the bench, Freudenberg worked in the Nebraska Attorney General's Office and served as a county attorney in Sheridan County, Nebraska, and as a deputy county attorney in Scotts Bluff County, Nebraska.[2]
Selection process
The seven justices of the Nebraska Supreme Court are appointed by the governor with help from a nominating commission. When a vacancy occurs, a judicial nominating commission submits the names of at least two qualified candidates to the governor, who appoints one to fill the vacancy. If the governor fails to appoint a candidate within 60 days, the chief justice of the supreme court is authorized to select a new judge.[3][4]
Each judicial district has its own judicial nominating commission. Each commission consists of nine members: one Nebraska supreme court judge who acts as chairman but does not vote, four attorneys selected by the members of the state bar who are district residents, and four non-attorney district residents selected by the governor. No more than four of the voting members may belong to the same political party.[5]
Judges serve initial terms of three years, at which point they must stand in yes-no retention elections occurring during the next general election in order to remain on the bench. Subsequent terms last six years. Click here to learn more about Nebraska judicial elections.[3]
Media coverage
This section provides an overview of media coverage of the vacancy from within the state and across the country.[6] Selected articles are presented as a jumping-off point for deeper exploration of media coverage and as an overview of narratives that have emerged surrounding the vacancy. Articles exploring similar topics or conflicts are grouped into sections, with the most recent articles appearing at the top of each section. The following types of coverage are featured:
- The appointment: Articles discussing updates on or controversy over the appointment.
- Prospective appointees: Articles discussing potential appointees to fill the vacancy.
- The former judge: Articles discussing the former judge.
The appointment
- Lincoln Journal Star (May 10, 2018)
- "A judicial nominating commission has forwarded the names of two judges and a civil attorney to Gov. Pete Ricketts, who ultimately will appoint one to fill an empty spot on the Nebraska Supreme Court...
- After a meeting Thursday to hear information from the candidates, the commission sent on the names of: Ryan C. Carson of Gibbon, a practicing attorney in Kearney; Dawson County District Judge James E. Doyle IV of Lexington; and Lancaster County Judge John R. Freudenberg of Lincoln.
- Carson practices in a variety of areas, including insurance defense, commercial, employment, corporate, product liability, some criminal defense work and catastrophic tort litigation. He has practiced law in Nebraska for seven years and currently is with Jacobsen, Orr, Lindstrom & Hollbrook PC.
- Doyle has been a district judge in the 11th Judicial District since 2001, handling more than 700 cases a year, and has been the presiding judge in the Midwest Nebraska Problem-Solving Court since 2006. Before he became a judge, he was a partner at a Lexington law firm.
- Freudenberg in April 2017 became a county judge in Lincoln, where he handles roughly 3,400 cases a year. Before that, he led the criminal bureau for the Nebraska Attorney General's Office and supervised prosecutions, investigation and criminal appeals. He also has worked in private practice at a firm in Gordon and as the Sheridan County attorney from 2003-07."[7]
Appointee candidates and nominations
- Omaha World-Herald (April 26, 2018)
- Six people apply to replace Wright on the Nebraska Supreme Court. They include:
- Judge Leigh Ann Retelsdorf, a judge for the District 4 Court in Nebraska who formerly worked in the Douglas County Attorney's Office.
- Six people apply to replace Wright on the Nebraska Supreme Court. They include:
- Judge John Freudenberg, a judge for the 3rd County Court Judicial District, serving Lancaster County in Nebraska who previously worked as criminal bureau chief in the Nebraska Attorney General's Office.
- Jugde James E. Doyle, a judge for the Nebraska 11th District Court and the Nebraska Problem-Solving Courts. He also served as a judge of the Midwest Nebraska Adult Drug Court in Dawson County.
- Melodie Bellamy, Kearney County city attorney.
- Ryan Carson, an attorney with the law firm Jacobson Orr.
- Joe Stecher, former U.S. attorney for Nebraska (2007-2009).[8]
The former judge
- ctpost (March 19, 2018)
- "Wright died Sunday after a long, undisclosed illness. Chief Justice Michael Heavican said in a statement that Wright's death leaves a great void on the seven-member court.
- Wright was the court's most experienced member, having served 24 years. He previously served for two years on the Nebraska Court of Appeals and worked for more than two decades as a private practice attorney based in Scottsbluff."[1]
About Justice Wright
Wright was appointed to the court on February 25, 1994 by Democratic Governor Ben Nelson. Wright was retained by voters in 2010 and again in 2016. His last term would have expired in 2023.
Wright received his undergraduate degree from the University of Nebraska at Lincoln in 1967 and his J.D. from the University of Nebraska College of Law in 1970. He joined the U.S. Army in 1970 and served in the Nebraska National Guard from 1970 to 1976. Prior to his appointment to the Nebraska Supreme Court, Wright served on the Nebraska Court of Appeals and worked in private practice.[9]
See also
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 ctpost, "Nebraska Supreme Court Justice Wright dies at age 72," March 19, 2018
- ↑ Officer of Governor Pete Ricketts, "Gov. Ricketts Names John R. Freudenberg to Third Judicial District Judgeship," April 6, 2017
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 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
- ↑ State of Nebraska Judicial Branch, "Judicial Nominating Commissioner's Manual," accessed January 26, 2018
- ↑ In selecting articles for inclusion in this page, Ballotpedia has drawn from a variety of sources and viewpoints to identify articles that are representative of broader trends in media coverage.
- ↑ Lincoln Journal Start, "3 finalists named for open Nebraska Supreme Court judgeship," May 10, 2018
- ↑ Omaha World-Herald, "6 people, including Douglas County District Court judge, apply to be on Nebraska Supreme Court," April 26, 2018
- ↑ State of Nebraska Judicial Branch, "Hon. John F. Wright," accessed November 10, 2017
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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
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