Opinion

Public Perception of Supreme Court’s Independence at Risk

Published by Nikki Ratay on Wed, 09/23/2020 - 12:00am

The foundation of the United States since that unanimous declaration to the world on July 4, 1776, has been independence.

Independence and its accompanying freedom is infused throughout our system of government and our society. The courts, for one, are supposed to serve as an independent check on power. So, too, is the press.

Protecting U.S. Postal Service Also Safeguards Your Access to Information

Published by Nikki Ratay on Thu, 08/27/2020 - 12:00am

Facing a fierce public outcry, the U.S. Postal Service is “suspending” its sudden cost-cutting moves – tossing out high-speed sorting machines, uprooting collection boxes, reducing Post Office hours and eliminating carrier overtime – that have slowed mail delivery and threatened the on-time delivery of mail-in ballots for the presidential election.

Silver Lining of COVID-19: High Speed Internet Spreading, Too

Published by Scott Stewart on Thu, 08/06/2020 - 12:00am

These days there’s so much bad news surrounding the coronavirus pandemic that Americans have quit looking for good news. 

But a rainbow, laden with golden opportunity, is shining through this crisis.  Nebraska is on the brink of building high-speed internet connections for millions of rural Nebraskans. 

Nebraska Lawyers Foundation Supports Legal Community, But Now NFL Needs Your Support

Published by Scott Stewart on Mon, 08/03/2020 - 12:00am

The Nebraska Lawyers Foundation supports several programs that expand access to the justice system and work to strengthen the Nebraska legal profession.

One program is the Volunteer Lawyers Project (VLP). By connecting Nebraska lawyers with pro bono opportunities, VLP serves more than 7,000 low-income Nebraskans each year.

Judicial Retention Elections Typically Low-Key Affairs

Published by Scott Stewart on Mon, 08/03/2020 - 12:00am

This November, two members of the Nebraska Supreme Court will be on the ballot in retention elections under the state’s merit system.

Lindsey Miller-Lerman, senior member of the state’s highest court, and Jeffery Funke, appointed in 2016, are on a non-partisan ballot in which voters are asked whether they should be retained in office.

Congress Considers Legislation That Would Support Local News Organizations

Published by Scott Stewart on Tue, 07/28/2020 - 12:00am

In the past five months, Congress has responded to the coronavirus public health crisis with several emergency relief measures, including the stimulus checks sent to individuals and households, payroll protections to small businesses, expanded unemployment payments, fee waivers for borrowing against 401(k) plans and more.

Column: One Reporter, Two Executions, Haunting Last Words

Published by Scott Stewart on Sat, 07/25/2020 - 12:00am

Daniel Lewis Lee, a condemned man and convicted murderer, was asked if he wanted to make a final statement from the execution chamber, with its institutional green-tiled walls and plate-glass interior window, moments before he too would die.

He did. He leaned his head up and we locked eyes.

Court’s 2019 Term Saw Fewer Cases But Plenty of Headlines

Published by Scott Stewart on Fri, 07/17/2020 - 5:00am

 

The U.S. Supreme Court made it through the October 2019 term in spite of the COVID-19 pandemic and with the aid of a bit of 1960s technology: teleconferencing.

Bar Exam Time Always Stressful, Even Before Coronavirus Pandemic

Published by Scott Stewart on Mon, 07/13/2020 - 12:00am

Bar admission in the time of COVID-19: Nerve Wracking. 

Bar admission any other time: The Same.

Bar admission officials are doing their best to normalize the admission process – which inevitably means taking an examination – in a time when everything else is incredibly bolloxed up.

Recalling the Founders’ Views of a Free Press

Published by Scott Stewart on Fri, 07/10/2020 - 12:00am

America’s Founders regarded a free press as so vital to the new nation that they took care to include that right in the First Amendment to the Constitution.

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