Michael G. Heavican (born August 4, 1947) is 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 just ...

. He was appointed to the court on October 2, 2006, by Governor Dave Heineman.

Early life and education

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

Bachelor of Arts Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four years ...

from the

University of Nebraska A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States, the ...

in 1969, and received his

Juris Doctor The Juris Doctor (J.D. or JD), also known as Doctor of Jurisprudence (J.D., JD, D.Jur., or DJur), is a graduate-entry professional degree in law and one of several Doctor of Law degrees. The J.D. is the standard degree obtained to practice law ...

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 1975-1980, 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 1981-1991. 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 Nebraska () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. It is bordered by South Dakota to the north; Iowa to the e ...

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 Attorney General of Nebraska from 1991 to 2003 and 43rd Treasurer of Nebraska from 2011 to 2019. A member of the Republican Party, he previously w ...

. 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 gove ...

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 who served as the 43rd president of the United States from 2001 to 2009. A member of the Republican Party, Bush family, and son of the 41st president George H. W. Bush, he ...

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

References

* , - 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