League Player Feature: Judge Jodi Nelson

The Honorable Jodi Nelson has been a district court judge in Lancaster County for 14 years. Prior to that she worked in the county attorney’s office for 17 years, and was in private practice before that. Long before her storied legal career, she took up the sport of tennis and has never looked back.

“I love the game of tennis and what it takes both physically and mentally to be competitive,” Nelson said. “What I like most though is the opportunity that it provides to meet people and develop long and rewarding relationships.”

Nelson started playing tennis in her hometown of North Platte. She lived two blocks from the high school and was able to practice every day. She begged her mom to sign her up for lessons through the local parks and recreation department and loved learning the skills involved in the sport. She even won her first tournament following the lessons.

“I still remember the sense of accomplishment I felt,” she remembered. “It gave me a formula for success in the rest of my life: explore opportunities, find an interest, immerse yourself in that interest, try to learn all you can and achieve all you can within that interest, share it with others, repeat.”

Nelson went on to play four years of varsity tennis at North Platte High School, and four years at Nebraska Wesleyan University in Lincoln. During law school at Nebraska College of Law, she coached girls’ tennis at Lincoln East High School, and a few years later for the boys’ team. It was hard to balance it all, but she loved coaching and giving back to the sport she loved.

“It was hard to manage the rigor of law school and the demands of being a head coach, having practices every day, and traveling weekly and sometimes more than once each week for tournaments,” Nelson said. “But, it was worth the effort because I loved it! I had wonderful players. We had so much fun!”

Nelson became a district court judge in 2006 and handles criminal, civil and domestic relations cases. She also oversees the Drug Court Program with another judge. No day is ever like another in her field.

“What I truly enjoy is the variety, no two days are ever alike,” she said. “I love the challenge of managing the diverse docket and the myriad of legal issues that crop up in those cases.”

Nelson currently plays on three USTA teams at the 4.0 level, and enjoys playing both doubles and singles. The schedule forces her to play regularly and it helps fuel her competitive drive, as well as being part of a team. It’s also one of the few things that take her mind away from work.