Douglas County District Judge Derek Vaughn, center, is named the next associate justice of the Nebraska Supreme Court. His wife, left, and many other members of his family joined the announcement. Nov. 10, 2025. (Zach Wendling/Nebraska Examiner)

LINCOLN — Nebraska Gov. Jim Pillen appointed Douglas County District Court Judge Derek R. Vaughn on Monday as the next associate justice of the Nebraska Supreme Court.

The appointment for the Supreme Court’s Second Judicial District replaces the first woman on Nebraska’s high court with the high court’s first person of color, according to state records and national data since 1960.

Vaughn served Douglas County as a county court judge for a decade before Pillen elevated him to the district court two years ago. He will represent the Omaha-area sea

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