​General Public Resources
 

• The Qualities of a Good Judge
  https://www.apursuitofjustice.com/the-qualities-of-a-good-judge/#targetText=A%20candidate%20should%20exhibit%20the,qualities%20should%20be%20demonstrated%20consistently.
   

• Good judicial temperament the hallmark of a good judge
  https://www.chicagolawbulletin.com/law-day/2015/david-sterba-forum-ld2015.aspx
   

• A Day in the Life of A Judge  https://www.americanbar.org/groups/judicial/publications/judges_journal/2017/spring/a_day_in_the_life_of_a_judge/
  
  About Nebraska Judges:
   

• Guide to Nebraska’s Judicial Retention Elections https://supremecourt.nebraska.gov/public/vote
   

• Nebraska Revised Code of Judicial Conduct
  https://supremecourt.nebraska.gov/supreme-court-rules/chapter-5-judges/article-3-nebraska-revised-code-judicial-conduct-effective-january-1-2011
   

• JUDICIAL EVALUATION POLL RESULTS (from the Nebraska State Bar Assocation)
  https://www.nebar.com/page/JPEResults
  
   

​

What About an Unpopular Court Decision?

• Over the course of a career, a judge will hear and rule over of thousands of cases. One case alone is not an accurate barometer of a judicial career.

• Judges must follow the law, and sometimes the law leads to unpopular results. If citizens disagree with a law, they should seek a change through the Nebraska Legislature.

• High-profile cases that catch the media’s attention often bear little resemblance to the cases that constitute the bulk of a judge’s work. Most court cases do not involve hot-button issues.

• Sometimes a higher court reverses the decision of a lower court. Reversal by a higher court does not in itself indicate the quality of a judge’s work. For instance, the higher court could be ruling on an issue for the first time or clarifying one of its earlier opinions that served as precedent for the lower court.

How are Courts Accountable?

Our system of government is carefully designed to foster fair and impartial courts while maintaining judicial accountability through a series of checks on judicial power.

• If a party believes a judge made an error in a case, the party may appeal to a higher court to review the judge’s ruling.

• If citizens disagree with a judge’s interpretation of a law, they may go to the Legislature to amend the law and change the law’s effect in the future.

• If citizens disagree with a court’s interpretation of the constitution, they have the ultimate power to amend the constitution to undo the court’s interpretation.

• If a person thinks a judge has behaved unethically, the person may ask the Judicial Qualifications Commission to investigate.

In these ways, courts are accountable to the laws, to the constitution, and to the people.