Pillen Names Funke To Replace Heavican On NE Supreme Court

A reliably conservative voice on the Nebraska Supreme Court has been named by the state's Republican governor as the court's newest chief justice. Republican Gov. Jim Pillen named Justice Jeffrey Funke as the incoming chief justice on Friday. Funke was appointed to the state's high court in 2016 by then-Republican Gov. Pete Ricketts. Before that, he served as a county and district state judge in southeastern Nebraska and has also worked as a county attorney and a public defender. Funke will step in following the retirement of 77-year-old Chief Justice Michael Heavican, which is effective Oct. 31.