Retired judge appointed to Nebraska Liquor Control Commission vacancy

LINCOLN — A retired Douglas County District Court judge will be the next member of the Nebraska Liquor Control Commission and jointly serve on the Nebraska Medical Cannabis Commission.

Gov. Jim Pillen on Wednesday announced the six-year appointment of former District Judge J. Michael Coffey of Omaha to the Liquor Commission. Coffey retired in June 2023 after nearly 25 years on the 4th Judicial District bench, currently only Douglas County. Coffey must be confirmed by the Legislature in 2026 to stay in his role.

The three Liquor Control Commission members each represent one of the state’s three congressional districts. The same three automatically serve on the Medical Cannabis Commission under a law voters approved in November 2024.

Commissioners must draft licensing criteria for medical cannabis establishments by July 1 and begin awarding licenses by Oct. 1. The medical cannabis board’s next meeting is 10 a.m. June 26 in Lincoln.

Commissioners will consider a potential memorandum of agreement with the commission, Pillen’s Policy Research Office and the Nebraska Department of Health Human Services for the rulemaking process. They will also discuss, and potentially approve, emergency or draft regulations before the July 1 deadline.

Coffey, prior to former Gov. Ben Nelson appointing him to the district court in 1998, was a private attorney in Omaha. He earned his law degree from the Creighton University School of Law in 1974. 

He is a Vietnam War veteran, having served in the U.S. Army from 1969-1971.

A judicial oversight board in 2013 cleared Coffey of unethical behavior over a complaint from an ex-wife about how he had handled his daughter receiving a DUI conviction. The commission, in its report, wrote that a judge shouldn’t “lose his or her rights and responsibilities as a parent simply because he or she holds judicial office.”

The Nebraska State Bar Association, which Coffey served in leadership roles for, consistently recommended Coffey be retained in each of his local elections, in 2002, 2008, 2014 and 2020.

The Governor’s Office had no immediate answer about how many Nebraskans applied for the 2nd Congressional District vacancy on the Liquor Control Commission.

Pillen chose not to reappoint former Liquor Commissioner Harry Hoch, Jr., after Hoch’s term expired May 24. Pillen told the Nebraska Examiner it was “just time.” 

Hoch, who had 40 years of liquor industry knowledge, said Pillen’s chief of staff told him the governor wanted someone with more “cannabis experience.” 

Pillen’s announcement of Coffey did not mention the Medical Cannabis Commission. Coffey has presided over felony drug conviction cases or other cases involving marijuana, in addition to other legal experience.

Pointing to a phrase from former UCLA basketball Coach John Wooden, Pillen has said regulators must “be quick, but don’t hurry,” stating: “This is important we get it right.”

“We’re not going to become recreational [marijuana] as long as I’m your governor, like our state to the west,” Pillen said during his monthly call-in show Monday.

Editor’s note: This story has been revised with additional information about the next Medical Cannabis Commission meeting.