Case Title: State v. Lotter

Citation: 255 Neb. 889, 587 N.W.2d 673

Docket Number: 

State: nebraska

Court: Nebraska Supreme Court

Date: 1999-01-08T00:00:00Z

Document:
587 N.W.2d 673 (1999) 255 Neb. 889 STATE of Nebraska, appellee, v. John L. LOTTER, appellant. Nos. S-96-297, S-96-298 and S-96-312. Supreme Court of Nebraska. January 8, 1999. James R. Mowbray and Jerry L. Soucie, of Nebraska Commission on Public Advocacy, Lincoln, for appellant, and, on brief, John L. Lotter, pro se. Don Stenberg, Attorney General, and J. Kirk Brown, Lincoln, for appellee. HENDRY, C.J., WRIGHT, CONNOLLY, GERRARD, STEPHAN, McCORMACK, and MILLER-LERMAN, JJ. PER CURIAM. This matter is before us on the motion for rehearing of the appellant, John L. Lotter, regarding our opinion reported at State v. Lotter, 255 Neb. 456, 586 N.W.2d 591 (1998). Lotter claims, in seeking rehearing, that we improperly addressed his claim that an ex parte communication between his trial *674 judge and the prosecution violated his right to an impartial trial court under the Due Process Clause of the 14th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. This argument was not clearly set forth in Lotter's appellate brief, but for the sake of completeness, we feel it necessary to address Lotter's claim. We overrule the motion for rehearing, but after the two paragraphs under the subheading "1.1. Trial Judge's Impartiality," id. at 474-75, 586 N.W.2d at 610, we add the following: We find no evidence in the record before us that Lotter was personally apprised of the ex parte communication at issue. *675 Thus, Lotter has not waived his claim that the ex parte communication threatened the trial judge's impartiality in a way that violated Lotter's due process rights. The remainder of the opinion shall remain unmodified, resuming with the subheading "1.2. Separation of Powers" found at State v. Lotter, 255 Neb. 456, 475, 586 N.W.2d 591, 610 (1998). FORMER OPINION MODIFIED. MOTION FOR REHEARING OVERRULED.