How Do Nebraska Workers’ Compensation Judges End Up on the Bench?

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There are seven judges who are active in the Nebraska Workers’ Compensation Court. These judges are solely workers’ compensation judges and do not hear any other cases outside of the Nebraska Workers’ Compensation Court. Four of the judges have offices in Lincoln, and three have offices in Omaha, but the seven judges cover the entire state. Trials are conducted by these judges in the county where the work-related injury occurred. If the injury occurred outside of the state, the hearing is held in Lincoln or in any other venue to which the parties agree.

How do these judges end up on the bench? The workers’ compensation judges in Nebraska are not elected, unlike in some states. Instead, like all state-court judges in Nebraska, a pool of judicial candidates is screened and narrowed by a judicial nominating commission. These commissions are made up of both lawyers and laypersons from both political parties and also independents. After the narrowing process, the governor appoints a judge from that limited group. After the appointment, every six years, the judge will be up for a vote of the general public as to whether the judge should be retained on the bench. If the vote is to retain the judge, then that judge remains for another six-year term.

A system like this does a good job of narrowing the candidates for the governor to a group of the most qualified. Further, this process usually limits politics in the judiciary and it is greatly preferable to the states where judges are simply elected. Here is a good video explaining why.


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