--- title: "Michael D. Nelson | KnowJudges" canonical: "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/michael-d-nelson-nebraska-us-magistrate" page_type: "judge_profile" updated: "2026-10-08" --- # Michael D. Nelson U.S. District Court for the District of Nebraska · U.S. Magistrate Judge ## Profile - Court: U.S. District Court for the District of Nebraska - State: Nebraska - Role: U.S. Magistrate Judge - Service status: active - Last verified: 2026-07-29 ## Summary Official statewide and applicable court procedural guidance applies to this judge. ## Biography ### Professional career - US magistrate judge in the District of Nebraska, first appointed in 2017 - Bachelor’s degree in criminal justice from the University of Nebraska Omaha in 1988 - He also held the role of a commissioner on the Nebraska Commission for Public Advocacy and represented the District of Nebraska on the Criminal Justice Panel - His findings and recommendations (F&Rs) follow standard procedural rules, requiring timely objections for district judge review ### Education - Creighton University School of Law in — J.D. (1991) - a University of Nebraska at Omaha bachelor’s degree in 1988 and a Creighton law degree in 1991. ### Additional information - Magistrate, District Court, D. Nebraska, 2017-present - Practitioner, Nelson Law, through 2017 - J.D. — Creighton Univ. — 1991 - B.A. — Univ. of Nebraska at Omaha — 1988 - focusing on criminal defense in both state and federal courts. - Known for his careful adherence to Eighth Circuit precedent, even when the Supreme Court has granted certiorari on related issues. - Before judicial service, he held a position as an Omaha trial attorney and as adjunct faculty in UNO’s criminology and criminal justice school. - For example, in criminal cases involving Miranda rights, he applies the voluntary, knowing, and intelligent waiver framework, considering the totality of circumstances, and has ruled that ambiguous references to counsel do not constitute unequivocal requests for an attorney. - In addition to his legal practice, Nelson has contributed to legal education as an adjunct professor of criminology and criminal justice at the University of Nebraska Omaha, where he received recognition as a Rising Star for his teaching and professional contributions - He received that school’s Rising Star Award. - His federal court page confirms his magistrate role. ## Before you appear - Read the judge-specific standing order first when one is listed. - Check the docket and case orders for requirements that supersede broader guidance. - Confirm current remote-access and courtroom technology arrangements before the proceeding. ## Courtroom Rules ### civil remote testimony Scope: courtwide In federal district-court civil proceedings, testimony is ordinarily taken in open court; remote contemporaneous testimony requires good cause in compelling circumstances and appropriate safeguards. Evidence excerpt: For good cause in compelling circumstances and with appropriate safeguards, the court may permit testimony in open court by contemporaneous transmission from a different location. [Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 43(a), Testimony in Open Court](https://www.uscourts.gov/forms-rules/current-rules-practice-procedure/federal-rules-civil-procedure) Source checked: 2026-07-26 ### criminal recording and broadcasting Scope: courtwide Federal district courts may not permit courtroom photography or broadcasting during criminal judicial proceedings unless a statute or another federal rule provides an exception. Evidence excerpt: Except as otherwise provided by a statute or these rules, the court must not permit the taking of photographs in the courtroom during judicial proceedings or the broadcasting of judicial proceedings from the courtroom. [Federal Rule of Criminal Procedure 53, Courtroom Photographing and Broadcasting Prohibited](https://www.uscourts.gov/court-records/access-court-proceedings/remote-public-access-proceedings/history-cameras-broadcasting-and-remote-public-access-courts) Source checked: 2026-07-26 ## Sources - [Official profile](https://www.uscourts.gov/sites/default/files/document/cjra_na_0331.2026.pdf#page=82) - [Official roster](https://www.uscourts.gov/sites/default/files/document/cjra_na_0331.2026.pdf#page=82) - [U.S. Courts judicial profile or roster](https://www.uscourts.gov/sites/default/files/document/cjra_na_0331.2026.pdf#page=82) - [CourtListener judicial biographical directory](https://www.courtlistener.com/person/9371/michael-d-nelson/) - [Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 43(a), Testimony in Open Court](https://www.uscourts.gov/forms-rules/current-rules-practice-procedure/federal-rules-civil-procedure) - [Federal Rule of Criminal Procedure 53, Courtroom Photographing and Broadcasting Prohibited](https://www.uscourts.gov/court-records/access-court-proceedings/remote-public-access-proceedings/history-cameras-broadcasting-and-remote-public-access-courts) - [CourtListener judicial biographical directory](https://www.courtlistener.com/person/9371/michael-d-nelson/) - [BR/MAG Judge Database: Michael D. Nelson](https://legaldatalab.law.virginia.edu/brmag-judges/brmag-judges.json) - [CourtListener judicial biographical directory](https://www.courtlistener.com/person/9371/michael-d-nelson/) - [BR/MAG Judge Database: Michael D. Nelson](https://legaldatalab.law.virginia.edu/brmag-judges/brmag-judges.json) ## JSON-LD ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "WebPage", "@id": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/michael-d-nelson-nebraska-us-magistrate", "url": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/michael-d-nelson-nebraska-us-magistrate", "name": "Michael D. Nelson | KnowJudges", "description": "Michael D. Nelson, U.S. District Court for the District of Nebraska. 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Section-specific exceptions, waivers, later amendments and case orders remain applicable. This is a source excerpt, not an exhaustive statement of the rule. [Official source](https://www.uscourts.gov/sites/default/files/document/federal-rules-of-criminal-procedure.pdf). Collected 2026-10-27.