# Nebraska AG backs federal proposal to accelerate death row appeals  
**Published:** 2026-06-01T09:00:26.000Z  
**Source:** [Nebraska Examiner](https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2026/06/01/repub/sc-attorney-general-joins-push-to-speed-up-death-row-appeals-process/)  
**AI-generated:** yes (claude-haiku-4-5-20251001)  
**Canonical:** https://lincolne.news/article/nebraska-ag-backs-federal-proposal-to-accelerate-death-row-appeals

Nebraska's attorney general has joined 15 other state prosecutors in supporting a federal proposal that would streamline the lengthy appeals process for death row inmates. The U.S. Department of Justice [proposed rule change](https://www.regulations.gov/document/DOJ-OAG-2026-0034-0001) would allow states to set timelines for when prisoners in capital cases must file federal appeals, provided the states also furnish attorneys to assist them.

The attorneys general submitted their [joint letter](https://www.scag.gov/media/rfqdpikh/2026-05-15-ala-et-al-cmt-ltr-to-doj-re-chapter-154.pdf) to U.S. Attorney General Todd Blanche on May 15, before the public comment period closed on the proposal issued in March. The group includes prosecutors from Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, Ohio, South Carolina, South Dakota and Texas.

Death row cases move with glacial slowness through the federal court system. The attorneys general noted that death row inmates spend an average of 21 years in prison before their executions as appeals wind through the courts. In Nebraska, [the state currently has 11 inmates on death row](https://deathpenaltyinfo.org/state-and-federal-info/state-by-state/nebraska), with [a death sentence triggering an automatic appeal to the Nebraska Supreme Court](https://nebraskapublicmedia.org/en/news/news-articles/nebraska-man-sentenced-for-2022-quadruple-murder-arson-in-cedar-county/).

"Taxpayers shouldn't be stuck footing the bill for decades due to government red tape, and victims of the most heinous crimes deserve justice in a timely manner," South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson said in a statement. The prosecutors argued that delays in capital cases benefit no one except prisoners with meritless claims.

Only one state's application has received approval so far. Arizona was certified in 2020 under the first Trump administration, but the federal government revoked that certification a year later after legal challenges from death penalty opponents. The attorneys general contended that various court interpretations and federal rules have imposed oversight too strict for states to use the expedited process as Congress originally intended in [1996 federal law](https://www.congress.gov/104/plaws/publ132/PLAW-104publ132.pdf) establishing the framework.

The Death Penalty Information Center, a nonprofit that opposes capital punishment, warned that the proposed rule would result in inadequate legal representation for death row inmates. The organization noted that removing federal requirements for the attorneys states hire to represent prisoners could allow states to select counsel lacking sufficient qualifications. "Federal court review is essential to ensuring that state convictions and death sentences are accurate, fair, and constitutional," the nonprofit said.

There is no timeline for a decision from the U.S. Department of Justice on the proposal.

## Sources

- [Nebraska Examiner](https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2026/06/01/repub/sc-attorney-general-joins-push-to-speed-up-death-row-appeals-process/)
- [Death Penalty Information Center information on Nebraska death penalty](https://deathpenaltyinfo.org/state-and-federal-info/state-by-state/nebraska)
- [Nebraska Public Media article on death penalty appeals process](https://nebraskapublicmedia.org/en/news/news-articles/nebraska-man-sentenced-for-2022-quadruple-murder-arson-in-cedar-county/)

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This article was generated by AI (claude-haiku-4-5-20251001) based on source material from Nebraska Examiner, enriched with 2 web searches. The original source is available at https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2026/06/01/repub/sc-attorney-general-joins-push-to-speed-up-death-row-appeals-process/.