Opinion ID: 2150185
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 6

Heading: powers of the judicial branch

Text: This court's primary duty is the proper and efficient administration of justice. [30] Although this court's decisions establish substantive rules of law, those rules have developed in resolving parties' disputes in real cases and controversies. We have often held that an actual case or controversy must exist before a court can exercise judicial power. [31] We do not have power to enact substantive laws of general applicability, because that power is exclusively reserved to the Legislature. In criminal law, substantive laws are those that declare what acts are crimes or prescribe the corresponding punishment. [32] This court also has inherent judicial power to do whatever is reasonably necessary for the proper administration of justice, [33] and this includes supervisory power over the courts. [34] But the Council's petition does not call on us to exercise our supervisory powers. For example, it has not asked us to collect statistical data on sentencing to decide whether sentencing disparity exists. Finally, under the Nebraska Constitution, we have independent procedural rulemaking power. [35] We believe, however, that by adopting the guidelines, we would be establishing the presumptive sentencing ranges that courts must consider. The proposed guidelines, therefore, are not procedural rules.