In all actions in which a temporary injunction has been granted and entered in the district court, which order allowing the temporary injunction is or has been superseded for by law, and in which action the trial court, on the merits, determined that the temporary injunction ought not to have been granted and a permanent injunction was refused in such action, such cause shall be advanced by the Court of Appeals or Supreme Court for hearing. In all such actions, if the relief demanded involves the delivery of irrigation water, and the Chief Water Officer, as defined in section 25-1062.01, is a party, any appeal from the judgment or decree of the district court shall be perfected within thirty days after the entry of such judgment, decree, or final order by the district court, and the cause shall be advanced for hearing before the Court of Appeals or Supreme Court.
§ 25-1920.Appeal; injunctions; cause advanced, when.
Article 19: Appeals and Proceedings in Error · Last amended 2025 · Last verified July 22, 2026
In one sentenceThis section moves an appeal to the front of the docket when a district court denied a permanent injunction after finding that a superseded temporary injunction should never have been granted, and it shortens the appeal deadline to thirty days in irrigation-water cases involving the Chief Water Officer.
Full Text of § 25-1920
Source
Laws 1913, c. 100, § 1, p. 255; R.S.1913, § 8193; C.S.1922, § 9145; C.S.1929, § 20-1920; Laws 1941, c. 29, § 8, p. 136; C.S.Supp.,1941, § 20-1920; R.S.1943, § 25-1920; Laws 1959, c. 102, § 5, p. 426; Laws 1961, c. 113, § 2, p. 353; Laws 1987, LB 33, § 2; Laws 1991, LB 732, § 58; Laws 1999, LB 43, § 11; Laws 2000, LB 900, § 67; Laws 2025, LB317, § 47.
Plain-English Summary
Section 25-1920 singles out one kind of case for faster appellate treatment. When a district court granted a temporary injunction that was later superseded, and then, ruling on the merits, decided the temporary injunction should never have been granted and refused a permanent injunction, the resulting appeal moves ahead of the ordinary docket. The Court of Appeals or Supreme Court advances that cause for hearing rather than letting it wait its ordinary turn.
A narrower rule inside the same section applies to irrigation water disputes. If the relief sought involves the delivery of irrigation water and the Chief Water Officer described in section 25-1062.01 is a party, the appeal from the district court’s judgment or decree must be perfected within thirty days after entry, shorter than the general appeal timetable, and that case too is advanced for hearing before the Court of Appeals or Supreme Court.
Both branches of the section share the same goal: keeping disputes over injunctive relief, and especially disputes touching a shared resource like irrigation water, from sitting on the appellate docket any longer than necessary.
Frequently Asked Questions
When does an injunction appeal get advanced ahead of other cases?
When the district court had granted a temporary injunction that was later superseded, then ruled on the merits that the injunction should never have been granted and refused a permanent injunction.
Does this section apply to every case where an injunction was denied?
No. It applies to the specific sequence described: a superseded temporary injunction followed by a merits ruling refusing a permanent injunction.
What is the deadline to appeal in an irrigation water case involving the Chief Water Officer?
Thirty days after entry of the district court’s judgment, decree, or final order, shorter than the general appeal period.
Who is the Chief Water Officer referenced in this section?
The officer defined in section 25-1062.01, whose presence as a party triggers the thirty-day deadline and advanced hearing for irrigation water delivery disputes.
What does it mean for a cause to be “advanced” for hearing?
The Court of Appeals or Supreme Court gives the case priority over the ordinary docket instead of waiting for its regular place in line.
Does the advancement rule apply to both categories described in this section?
Yes. Both the superseded-temporary-injunction cases and the irrigation-water cases involving the Chief Water Officer are advanced for hearing.
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: advanced appeal injunction nebraskairrigation water appeal deadline nebraskachief water officer appeal thirty daystemporary injunction superseded appeal priorityexpedited appeal nebraska injunction case