Nebraska local trial court judicial elections, 2020
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Ballotpedia provides comprehensive coverage of elections in America's 100 largest cities by population. This coverage extends to every office on the ballot for residents of these cities, including local trial court judges. In 2020, Ballotpedia covered the following local elections in this state:
- Omaha, Nebraska - Public power district subdivisions
- Douglas County, Nebraska - Metropolitan College board of governors, county clerk, county commissioners, public defender, Learning Community Coordinating Council seats, Metropolitan Utilities District of Omaha seats, and Papio-Missouri River Natural Resources District seats
- Lancaster County, Nebraska - County commissioners, special districts, and judicial seats
If the above list includes local trial court judgeships, click the links for more information about the elections. Click here to learn more about how the judges in this state are selected. Ballotpedia did not cover all local trial court judicial elections in this state in 2020. Please consider donating to Ballotpedia to help us expand our coverage of these elections.
Election rules
Retention election
In Nebraska's retention elections, voters are asked whether they think a judge should be retained, and they indicate this with either a "yes" or "no" vote. If the judge has more "yes" than "no" votes, the judge is retained for a new term. Judges do not face opponents in retention elections. Judges face retention elections every six years, except for newly appointed judges, who must face retention in the first general election occurring more than three years after their appointment.[1]
Judicial selection method
District courts
- See also: Assisted appointment
The 55 judges of the Nebraska District Courts are appointed by the governor with help from a nominating commission. When a vacancy occurs on one of the courts, 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 state supreme court is authorized to select a new judge.[2][3]
Judges serve initial terms of three years, at which point they must run in yes-no retention elections occurring during the next general election. Subsequent terms last six years.[2]
The chief judge of each district court is chosen by peer vote.[2]
To serve on one of the Nebraska District Courts, a judge must be:[2]
- a U.S. citizen;
- a state resident;
- a resident of the district he or she represents (for district judges);
- over the age of 30;
- experienced with more than five years of state practice; and
- a member of the state bar.
County courts
- See also: Assisted appointment
Judges of the Nebraska County Courts are each appointed to six-year terms.[4] Judges are re-elected in retention elections. To serve on this court, a judge must be a U.S. citizen, a district resident, 30 years of age or older, and a member of the state bar. They must also have five years of experience in state practice.[5]
Juvenile courts
- See also: Assisted appointment
Judges of the Nebraska Separate Juvenile Courts are each appointed to six-year terms.[6] Judges are re-elected in retention elections. To serve on this court, a judge must be a U.S. citizen, be 30 years of age or older, be a member of the state bar, and have five years of state practice.[7]
Additional elections
- See also: Nebraska elections, 2020
Pivot Counties
- See also: Pivot Counties by state
One of 93 Nebraska counties—1.08 percent—is a Pivot County. Pivot Counties are counties that voted for Barack Obama (D) in 2008 and 2012 and for Donald Trump (R) in 2016. Altogether, the nation had 206 Pivot Counties, with most being concentrated in upper midwestern and northeastern states.
| Counties won by Trump in 2016 and Obama in 2012 and 2008 | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| County | Trump margin of victory in 2016 | Obama margin of victory in 2012 | Obama margin of victory in 2008 | ||||
| Thurston County, Nebraska | 5.94% | 13.91% | 6.96% | ||||
In the 2016 presidential election, Donald Trump (R) won Nebraska with 58.7 percent of the vote. Hillary Clinton (D) received 33.7 percent. In presidential elections between 1868 and 2016, Nebraska voted Republican 82 percent of the time and Democratic 18 percent of the time. In the five presidential elections between 2000 and 2016, Nebraska voted Republican all five times.[8]
Presidential results by legislative district
The following table details results of the 2012 and 2016 presidential elections by state Senate districts in Nebraska. Click [show] to expand the table. The "Obama," "Romney," "Clinton," and "Trump" columns describe the percent of the vote each presidential candidate received in the district. The "2012 Margin" and "2016 Margin" columns describe the margin of victory between the two presidential candidates in those years. The "Party Control" column notes which party held that seat heading into the 2018 general election. Data on the results of the 2012 and 2016 presidential elections broken down by state legislative districts was compiled by Daily Kos.[9][10]
| In 2012, Barack Obama (D) won 10 out of 49 state Senate districts in Nebraska with an average margin of victory of 26.2 points. In 2016, Hillary Clinton (D) won 12 out of 49 state Senate districts in Nebraska with an average margin of victory of 22.8 points. Clinton won one district controlled by a Republican heading into the 2018 elections. |
| In 2012, Mitt Romney (R) won 39 out of 49 state Senate districts in Nebraska with an average margin of victory of 31.1 points. In 2016, Donald Trump (R) won 37 out of 49 state Senate districts in Nebraska with an average margin of victory of 38.3 points. Trump won five districts controlled by Democrats heading into the 2018 elections. |
| 2016 presidential results by state Senate District | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| District | Obama | Romney | 2012 Margin | Clinton | Trump | 2016 Margin | Party Control |
| 1 | 35.00% | 62.82% | R+27.8 | 25.56% | 68.52% | R+43 | R |
| 2 | 34.70% | 63.63% | R+28.9 | 28.10% | 65.62% | R+37.5 | R |
| 3 | 39.04% | 59.04% | R+20 | 36.88% | 55.76% | R+18.9 | D |
| 4 | 33.37% | 65.51% | R+32.1 | 37.83% | 56.86% | R+19 | R |
| 5 | 56.53% | 41.59% | D+14.9 | 53.64% | 40.42% | D+13.2 | D |
| 6 | 44.02% | 54.75% | R+10.7 | 49.08% | 45.79% | D+3.3 | R |
| 7 | 63.42% | 34.32% | D+29.1 | 63.88% | 29.08% | D+34.8 | D |
| 8 | 61.53% | 36.52% | D+25 | 63.44% | 29.78% | D+33.7 | D |
| 9 | 58.49% | 39.32% | D+19.2 | 61.55% | 31.87% | D+29.7 | D |
| 10 | 45.04% | 53.54% | R+8.5 | 44.08% | 50.23% | R+6.1 | I |
| 11 | 91.12% | 8.07% | D+83.1 | 85.83% | 10.84% | D+75 | I |
| 12 | 43.61% | 54.71% | R+11.1 | 42.37% | 51.31% | R+8.9 | R |
| 13 | 64.84% | 33.83% | D+31 | 61.33% | 33.93% | D+27.4 | D |
| 14 | 37.62% | 60.56% | R+22.9 | 36.43% | 56.65% | R+20.2 | R |
| 15 | 38.07% | 60.36% | R+22.3 | 29.77% | 65.08% | R+35.3 | D |
| 16 | 31.13% | 67.37% | R+36.2 | 23.45% | 70.90% | R+47.4 | R |
| 17 | 43.76% | 54.47% | R+10.7 | 33.78% | 61.06% | R+27.3 | R |
| 18 | 44.60% | 54.31% | R+9.7 | 45.14% | 48.75% | R+3.6 | R |
| 19 | 25.28% | 72.70% | R+47.4 | 19.05% | 75.26% | R+56.2 | R |
| 20 | 42.76% | 55.71% | R+13 | 45.35% | 48.92% | R+3.6 | R |
| 21 | 46.85% | 51.27% | R+4.4 | 40.87% | 51.98% | R+11.1 | R |
| 22 | 23.32% | 75.02% | R+51.7 | 18.05% | 77.74% | R+59.7 | R |
| 23 | 31.22% | 66.98% | R+35.8 | 23.17% | 71.65% | R+48.5 | R |
| 24 | 26.29% | 72.16% | R+45.9 | 20.95% | 73.47% | R+52.5 | R |
| 25 | 38.80% | 59.40% | R+20.6 | 41.24% | 53.38% | R+12.1 | R |
| 26 | 52.21% | 46.11% | D+6.1 | 46.82% | 45.23% | D+1.6 | D |
| 27 | 52.75% | 45.63% | D+7.1 | 50.52% | 42.64% | D+7.9 | D |
| 28 | 60.87% | 37.83% | D+23 | 59.15% | 33.04% | D+26.1 | D |
| 29 | 47.69% | 50.58% | R+2.9 | 49.38% | 43.97% | D+5.4 | D |
| 30 | 38.34% | 59.25% | R+20.9 | 31.53% | 62.47% | R+30.9 | R |
| 31 | 33.78% | 65.04% | R+31.3 | 36.93% | 57.43% | R+20.5 | D |
| 32 | 35.71% | 62.38% | R+26.7 | 27.09% | 67.12% | R+40 | L |
| 33 | 31.50% | 66.71% | R+35.2 | 24.02% | 70.78% | R+46.8 | R |
| 34 | 27.77% | 70.53% | R+42.8 | 20.10% | 75.21% | R+55.1 | R |
| 35 | 39.62% | 58.44% | R+18.8 | 33.52% | 60.87% | R+27.3 | D |
| 36 | 24.72% | 73.31% | R+48.6 | 19.26% | 75.74% | R+56.5 | R |
| 37 | 28.68% | 69.17% | R+40.5 | 24.94% | 68.00% | R+43.1 | R |
| 38 | 23.21% | 74.90% | R+51.7 | 15.08% | 80.37% | R+65.3 | R |
| 39 | 29.09% | 69.93% | R+40.8 | 31.42% | 63.56% | R+32.1 | R |
| 40 | 22.84% | 75.26% | R+52.4 | 14.16% | 81.28% | R+67.1 | R |
| 41 | 23.54% | 74.61% | R+51.1 | 14.72% | 81.15% | R+66.4 | R |
| 42 | 28.61% | 68.98% | R+40.4 | 18.33% | 76.53% | R+58.2 | R |
| 43 | 23.14% | 74.74% | R+51.6 | 14.87% | 80.38% | R+65.5 | R |
| 44 | 18.45% | 80.00% | R+61.6 | 12.02% | 84.03% | R+72 | R |
| 45 | 40.96% | 57.13% | R+16.2 | 37.00% | 55.32% | R+18.3 | D |
| 46 | 60.88% | 37.77% | D+23.1 | 53.57% | 38.24% | D+15.3 | D |
| 47 | 21.99% | 75.82% | R+53.8 | 13.60% | 81.46% | R+67.9 | R |
| 48 | 30.41% | 67.81% | R+37.4 | 22.76% | 71.50% | R+48.7 | R |
| 49 | 34.76% | 63.76% | R+29 | 34.09% | 59.61% | R+25.5 | R |
| Total | 38.21% | 60.08% | R+21.9 | 34.35% | 59.89% | R+25.5 | - |
| Source: Daily Kos | |||||||
See also
| Local courts | Nebraska | Other local coverage |
|---|---|---|
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Footnotes
- ↑ State of Nebraska Judicial Branch, "Voters’ guide to Nebraska’s judicial retention elections," accessed April 24, 2014
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 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
- ↑ Nebraska Secretary of State, "Sample Ballot," November 2, 2010
- ↑ American Judicature Society, "Methods of Judicial Selection: Nebraska; Limited Jurisdiction Courts," archived October 3, 2014
- ↑ Nebraska Secretary of State, "Sample Ballot," November 2, 2010
- ↑ American Judicature Society, "Methods of Judicial Selection: Nebraska; Limited Jurisdiction Courts," archived October 3, 2014
- ↑ 270towin.com, "Nebraska," accessed July 30, 2017
- ↑ Daily Kos, "Daily Kos Elections' statewide election results by congressional and legislative districts," July 9, 2013
- ↑ Daily Kos, "Daily Kos Elections' 2016 presidential results for congressional and legislative districts," February 6, 2017
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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