A judicial record of this state, or of any other federal court of the United States, may be proved by producing the original or a copy thereof, certified by the clerk or the clerk's designee or the person having the legal custody thereof, authenticated by his or her seal of office, if there is one.
§ 25-1285.Judicial records of Nebraska and federal courts; how proved.
Article 12: Evidence and Witnesses · Last amended 2007 · Last verified July 22, 2026
In one sentenceThis section lets a party prove a judicial record from a Nebraska court or a federal court by producing either the original or a copy certified by the clerk, the clerk’s designee, or the person holding legal custody of the record, authenticated by an official seal if the court has one.
Full Text of § 25-1285
Source
R.S.1867, Code § 413, p. 462; R.S.1913, § 7978; C.S.1922, § 8919; C.S.1929, § 20-1285; R.S.1943, § 25-1285; Laws 2007, LB449, § 1.
Plain-English Summary
Litigants regularly need to put a court’s own records, a judgment, an order, a filed pleading, into evidence in a different case. Section 25-1285 sets out how to do that for judicial records of Nebraska’s own courts or of any federal court of the United States. The proponent can produce the original record, or a copy certified by the clerk, the clerk’s designee, or whoever else holds legal custody of it.
Certification alone may not be enough. Where the issuing court has a seal of office, the certified copy also needs that seal to complete the authentication. Between an original and a properly certified, sealed copy, a party has a direct way to establish that a document really is what it claims to be, a record from another court’s file.
Frequently Asked Questions
What kinds of judicial records does this section cover?
Judicial records of Nebraska courts and of any federal court of the United States.
How can I prove a judicial record without producing the original?
By offering a copy certified by the clerk, the clerk’s designee, or the person with legal custody of the record.
Does the certified copy need a seal?
Yes, it must be authenticated by the court’s seal of office, if the court has one.
Who besides the clerk can certify the copy?
The clerk’s designee, or the person having legal custody of the record.
Does this section cover judgments from courts of other states?
No, it addresses Nebraska courts and federal courts; other statutes address judicial records from sister states.
Source & verification. Section text and the amendment-history citation are
reproduced verbatim from the Nebraska Legislature, Revisor of Statutes, enacted by the
Nebraska Legislature. Last verified July 22, 2026. ·
Official source
Also known as: proving a judicial record nebraskacertified copy of court judgmentnebraska federal court record evidenceclerk certified copy judgment proofauthenticating court records nebraska