Nebraska Table of Authorities: Brief and Page Rules

The governing content requirement

Read the provisions for your particular role rather than treating all briefs as identical. The opening-brief rule names the full authority range; the appellee provision uses the narrower wording “table of cases cited.” Including additional cited authority categories can be a useful navigational choice, but do not describe the appellee provision as if it repeats the opening requirement verbatim. A cross-appeal appears in a separate section prepared under the appellant rules. A reply is prepared in the same manner as an appellee brief. Motions and rehearing briefs have their own governing provisions; this guide does not extend the ordinary opening-brief table requirement to every filing.

Two authority lists serve different purposes

Section 2-109(D)(1)(f) requires separate numbered propositions of law, each followed by supporting authorities, with preference given to those deemed most important. Those proposition lists organize legal support by proposition. The opening table instead organizes the cited authorities alphabetically so a reader can locate them throughout the brief. Do not sort the main table by importance merely because the proposition lists use that preference. Review citations in both locations when collecting page references.

Section 2-109(C)(4) requires reported-case references to identify the title, volume and page, deciding tribunal and decision year. Nebraska cases must use Nebraska Reports and/or Nebraska Appellate Reports; other reporter citations may also be included. Keep the full identification when reconciling short forms. A reporter pinpoint identifies a location in a judicial opinion, not the page of your brief. Transcript references such as (T26), bill-of-exceptions references such as (156:12), and exhibit references are record locators, not cases or statutes to add automatically to the authorities table.

From a brief PDF to an editable Word table

For example, if a citation appears on the ninth PDF sheet and the brief starts numbering with its cover, its reference normally tracks page 9, not a page number calculated after excluding front matter. This is a hypothetical pagination illustration, not a court-approved sample. Confirm your actual final document. Section 2-103 also requires a converted, fully text-searchable PDF for electronic filings, left-aligned text, specified margins and fonts, and no footnotes; generating a table does not enforce those document-wide requirements.