Michael G. Heavican (born August 4, 1947) is an American lawyer who served as the chief justice of the

Supreme Court of Nebraska The Nebraska Supreme Court is the highest court in the U.S. state of Nebraska. The court consists of a chief justice and six associate justices. Each justice is initially appointed by the governor of Nebraska; using the Missouri Plan, each jus ...

from 2006 to 2024.

Early life and education

Heavican was born on August 4, 1947, in Columbus, Nebraska. Heavican received a

Bachelor of Arts A Bachelor of Arts (abbreviated B.A., BA, A.B. or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is the holder of a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the liberal arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts deg ...

from the

University of Nebraska A university () is an educational institution, institution of tertiary education and research which awards academic degrees in several Discipline (academia), academic disciplines. ''University'' is derived from the Latin phrase , which roughly ...

in 1969, and received his

Juris Doctor A Juris Doctor, Doctor of Jurisprudence, or Doctor of Law (JD) is a graduate-entry professional degree that primarily prepares individuals to practice law. In the United States and the Philippines, it is the only qualifying law degree. Other j ...

from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln School of Law in 1974.

Career

Heavican's experience prior to joining the bench was exclusively as a state and then federal prosecutor. From 1975 to 1980, he was a Deputy Lancaster County Attorney. He became Chief Deputy Lancaster County Attorney in 1981, and then served as the Lancaster County Attorney from 1981 to 1991. He ran for

Attorney General of Nebraska The Nebraska attorney general is the chief law enforcement officer and lawyer for the U.S. state of Nebraska. List of attorneys general ;Parties Notes References AG Office documentcached) External links Nebraska Attorney Generaloffici ...

in 1990, but lost the Republican primary to

Don Stenberg Don Stenberg (born September 30, 1948) is an American lawyer and politician who served as the 31st Nebraska Attorney General, Attorney General of Nebraska from 1991 to 2003 and 43rd Nebraska State Treasurer, Treasurer of Nebraska from 2011 to 2019 ...

. In 1991, Heavican left state service to become an

assistant United States attorney An assistant United States attorney (AUSA) is an official career civil service position in the U.S. Department of Justice composed of lawyers working under the U.S. attorney of each U.S. federal judicial district. They represent the federal gov ...

for the District of Nebraska. After ten years with that office, he was appointed by newly elected President

George W. Bush George Walker Bush (born July 6, 1946) is an American politician and businessman who was the 43rd president of the United States from 2001 to 2009. A member of the Bush family and the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party, he i ...

to be the United States Attorney for the District of Nebraska in 2001, a position he held until becoming Chief Justice of Nebraska.

Nebraska Supreme Court

Heavican was appointed as chief justice of the

Nebraska Supreme Court The Nebraska Supreme Court is the highest court in the U.S. state of Nebraska. The court consists of a chief justice and six associate justices. Each justice is initially appointed by the governor of Nebraska; using the Missouri Plan, each ...

on October 2, 2006, by Governor

Dave Heineman David Eugene Heineman (born May 12, 1948) is an American politician who served as the 39th governor of Nebraska from 2005 to 2015. A member of the Republican Party, he was the 39th treasurer of Nebraska from 1995 to 2001 and 37th lieutenant gove ...

. Heavican retired on October 31, 2024.

References

External links

* , - 1947 births Living people 20th-century American lawyers 21st-century American judges Assistant United States attorneys Chief justices of the Nebraska Supreme Court District attorneys in Nebraska Nebraska Republicans United States attorneys for the District of Nebraska University of Nebraska alumni {{Nebraska-state-judge-stub