Nebraska Supreme Court Welcomes New Chief Justice
Nebraska Governor Jim Pillen has announced the appointment of Jeffrey Funke as the new Chief Justice of the Nebraska Supreme Court. This decision follows the retirement announcement of Chief Justice Michael Heavican, who will step down at the end of October.
Funke, appointed to the Supreme Court in 2016 by former Republican Governor Pete Ricketts, has been recognized for his conservative stance. Recently, he was one of two justices opposing a state law aimed at restoring voting rights to individuals who have completed their felony sentences. Funke supported the stance of Republican state officials who prevented the enforcement of this legislation, despite its passage earlier this year by the Nebraska Legislature.
Governor Pillen, who opposed the new voting rights law, will now have the opportunity to select a successor for Funke’s current position as associate justice. In Nebraska, unlike many states where supreme court justices are elected, the governor appoints them from a list of candidates provided by a nominating committee.
The Nebraska Supreme Court’s recent ruling determined that the state’s top election official lacked the authority to remove voting rights from felons close to the upcoming November 5 election. This decision was part of the broader context of shifting ideological balances in state supreme courts across the U.S. A report by the Center for Public Integrity highlighted this trend, noting a significant rise in Republican-appointed justices over recent decades.
Michael Heavican, who was appointed chief justice in 2006 by Republican Governor Dave Heineman, announced his retirement in August. Funke, aged 55, is set to begin his new role on November 1. Before his tenure on the Supreme Court, Funke served as a county and district judge in southeastern Nebraska for a decade and has also worked as a county attorney and public defender. He holds a law degree from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln’s College of Law.
