It is hereby declared to be the policy of this state that the constitutional rights of persons unable to communicate the English language cannot be fully protected unless interpreters are available to assist such persons in legal proceedings. It is the intent of sections 25-2401 to 25-2407 to provide a procedure for the appointment of such interpreters to avoid injustice and to assist such persons in their own defense.
§ 25-2401.Interpreters; public policy.
Article 24: Interpreters · Last amended 2002 · Last verified July 22, 2026
In one sentenceThis section declares Nebraska’s policy that a person unable to communicate in English cannot fully exercise constitutional rights in a legal proceeding without an interpreter, and it frames sections 25-2401 to 25-2407 as the procedure the Legislature adopted for appointing interpreters, preventing injustice, and helping such a person present a defense.
Full Text of § 25-2401
Source
Laws 1973, LB 116, § 1; Laws 1987, LB 376, § 11; Laws 2002, LB 22, § 8.
Plain-English Summary
Section 25-2401 opens Nebraska’s interpreter statute with a statement of purpose rather than a specific rule. It declares that the constitutional rights of a person who cannot communicate in English cannot be fully protected in a legal proceeding unless an interpreter is available to help that person understand what is happening and take part in it.
The section then frames sections 25-2401 to 25-2407 as a whole: the Legislature adopted them to provide a procedure for appointing interpreters, to avoid injustice, and to help a person who cannot communicate in English take part in defending a case. Later sections in this article carry out that purpose by defining terms, setting appointment and qualification standards, requiring an oath, and addressing how interpreters get paid.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why does Nebraska have a policy statement about interpreters?
The Legislature wanted to make clear why sections 25-2401 to 25-2407 exist: a person who cannot communicate in English cannot fully exercise constitutional rights in a legal proceeding without an interpreter’s help.
Does this section itself require a court to appoint an interpreter?
No. It states the policy behind the article. Section 25-2403 contains the actual appointment requirement.
What does “unable to communicate the English language” mean here?
Section 25-2402 defines that phrase for the whole article, and 25-2401 uses it to explain why an interpreter procedure matters.
Does this policy apply only to criminal cases?
No. The section refers broadly to legal proceedings, and 25-2402 further defines “proceeding” to include any legal proceeding or a hearing that comes before one.
Has this section been changed since it was first adopted?
Yes. The Legislature amended it in 1987 and again in 2002, though its core statement of policy has stayed in place since 1973.
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
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