LINCOLN, Neb. – This Election Day, Nebraskans will decide whether 33 judges keep their current roles or end their terms on the court. New digital ads from the American Civil Liberties Union of Nebraska are encouraging Nebraskans to cast an informed vote when it comes to judicial retention.
The ad campaign will reach voters across the state now through early November, pointing people to a resource on the ACLU of Nebraska’s website (aclunebraska.org/judges) with basic details on the judges who are up for a retention vote, including the courts they serve on, their tenure and scores from a Nebraska State Bar Association survey of attorneys who have practiced before the judges.
The ACLU of Nebraska does not endorse or oppose candidates, including taking positions on retention votes, but it does support Nebraskans making informed decisions at the ballot box. The civil rights organization says it hopes this resource helps Nebraskans start their own research.
Mindy Rush Chipman, executive director of the ACLU of Nebraska, made this statement on the educational effort:
“Nebraskans’ judicial retention votes are just as important as their votes on political candidates and ballot measures because judges make consequential decisions every day,” Rush Chipman said. “Depending on the courts where the judges sit, those determinations might have to do with bail, sentencing or broader matters of civil rights and civil liberties. At its core, this is about inviting Nebraskans to learn more about the judges who will be on their ballot so that they can cast an informed vote this fall.”
Nebraska judges run for retention in the first general election that comes more than three years after their appointment and every six years thereafter. More information is available on the state’s judicial branch website.
