Synopses & Reviews
Slipping Backward: A History of the Nebraska Supreme Court, written by one of the stateand#8217;s leading legal minds, is the first history of the Nebraska Supreme Court and the first book-length study of a Great Plains supreme court. James W. Hewitt draws on his intimate knowledge of the subject matter gleaned from years as a lawyer in Nebraska and applies a historianand#8217;s objectivity to the analysis.and#160;Hewitt explores the court through the work of the four men who greatly influenced and led it: Robert G. Simmons (1938and#8211;63, the first modern chief justice), Paul W. White (1963and#8211;78), Norman Krivosha (1978and#8211;87), and William C. Hastings (1987and#8211;95). During these four eras, respect for the court declined in the eyes of the bar and the public. Hewitt examines every case decided by the court from 1938 through 1995, analyzes many of the leading decisions, and assesses the abilities and performances of the judges who served. He shows why the court fell far behind in its workload during the 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s, and delineates the steps it took to alleviate the backlog. He also reviews the changes in the nature of cases coming before the court and the exponential growth of criminal appeals necessitated by decisions of the U.S. Supreme Court. While Slipping Backward is critical of the courtand#8217;s shortcomings, it finds the court to be composed of decent men trying to do a decent job.and#160;Hewitt has crafted a model study of the modern legal system and its judiciary and has documented the evolution of a diverse Nebraska.
Review
"Slipping Backward provides an excellent addition to the scholarship of state supreme courts and is the first major work dedicated to a state supreme court of the Great Plains."and#8212;Peter J. Longo, Western Historical Quarterly
Review
and#8220;This readable and entertaining book is the first history written about the Nebraska Supreme Court. . . . It is a must-read for lawyers and judges, particularly those who lived and practiced during any of the fifty-eight years reviewed. It is a very informative and instructive read for non-lawyers who are interested in a witty and well-researched discussion of Nebraskaand#8217;s legal and political history.and#8221;and#8212;Samuel Van Pelt, The Nebraska Lawyer
Review
and#8220;[A] book-lengthand#160;. . .and#160;review of decisions, judgments and trends during 57 consecutive years of Nebraska Supreme Court life really is a noteworthy and valuable publication. . . . Thereand#8217;s really a lot here, either to be learned or to stir memory.and#8221;and#8212;Dick Herman, Lincoln Journal Star
Review
and#8220;Rich detail about cases and personalities that would appeal to lay readers.and#8221;and#8212;Michael Kelly, Omaha World-Herald
Review
"An excellent storyteller, Jim Hewitt plumbs judicial personality and the knotty problems faced by the court. His experience as lawyer, historian, Nebraska State Bar Association president, and his service on the American Bar Association's Committee on the Federal Judiciary and as commissioner of a Supreme Court Nominating Commission uniquely qualify him to tell the Nebraska Supreme Court's story."and#8212;Cloyd Clark, Great Plains Research
Review
and#8220;In the best tradition of Capoteand#8217;s iconic In Cold Blood, James Hewitt presents a gruesome, bizarre, and tragic tale of sex, murder, and small-town intrigue, told with the objective insight of an accomplished legal historian and the gripping narrative style of a novelist. . . . This is a book you should be prepared to complete in one sitting. Itand#8217;s that compelling.and#8221;and#8212;Mark Scherer, author of Rights in the Balance
Review
and#8220;The curious, tangled, and often sensational step-by-step recounting will, by necessity, leave the reader wondering how such a crime could have been committed and may have you double-checking to make sure your back door is really locked.and#8221;and#8212;Jim McKee, historian and writer
Review
and#8220;
In Cold Storage takes us through lurid personal relations that lead to two murders and vicious mutilations that shocked and frightened all Nebraskans, especially those used to small-town life in the western reaches of the state.and#8221;and#8212;Donald Pederson, former Nebraska state senator from North Platte
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Synopsis
2016 Nebraska Book Award
In Cold Storage is an excellent history of one of the more sensational crimes in Nebraska history.-- Steven Guenzel, Nebraska History
In 1973 the small southwest Nebraska railroad town of McCook became the unlikely scene of a grisly murder. More than forty years later, author James W. Hewitt returns to the scene and unearths new details about what happened.
After pieces of Edwin and Wilma Hoyt's dismembered bodies were found floating on the surface of a nearby lake, authorities charged McCook resident Harold Nokes and his wife, Ena, with murder. Harold pleaded guilty to murder and Ena pleaded guilty to two counts of wrongful disposal of a dead body, but the full story of why and how he murdered the Hoyts has never been told.
Hewitt interviews law enforcement officers, members of the victims' family, weapons experts, and forensic psychiatrists, and delves into newspaper reports and court documents from the time. Most significant, Harold granted Hewitt his first and only interview, in which the convicted murderer changed several parts of his 1974 confession. In Cold Storage takes readers through the evidence, including salacious details of sex and intrigue between the Hoyts and the Nokeses, and draws new conclusions about what really happened between the two families on that fateful September night.
Synopsis
In 1973 the small southwest Nebraska railroad town of McCook became the unlikely scene of a grisly murder. More than forty years later, author James W. Hewitt returns to the scene and unearths new details about what happened.
After pieces of Edwin and Wilma Hoytand#8217;s dismembered bodies were found floating on the surface of a nearby lake, authorities charged McCook resident Harold Nokes and his wife, Ena, with murder. Harold pleaded guilty to murder and Ena pleaded guilty to two counts of wrongful disposal of a dead body, but the full story of why and how he murdered the Hoyts has never been told.
Hewitt interviews law enforcement officers, members of the victimsand#8217; family, weapons experts, and forensic psychiatrists, and delves into newspaper reports and court documents from the time. Most significant, Harold granted Hewitt his first and only interview, in which the convicted murderer changed several parts of his 1974 confession. In Cold Storage takes readers through the evidence, including salacious details of sex and intrigue between the Hoyts and the Nokeses, and draws new conclusions about what really happened between the two families on that fateful September night.
About the Author
James W. Hewitt served as a member of the Lincoln Bar Association and the American Bar Association and served as president of the Nebraska State Bar Association in 1985and#8211;86. After years of dedicated legal service, he earned a PhD in history from the University of Nebraskaand#8211;Lincoln and is currently an adjunct professor of history at Nebraska Wesleyan University.