Wiseman v. Keller

The U.S. District Court for the District of Nebraska has certified the following question of law to this court: Does Neb. *718Rev. Stat. § 20-148 (Reissue 1977) constitute a waiver of sovereign immunity by the State of Nebraska for actions brought in federal court under 42 U.S.C. § 1983 (1982) to protect rights under the contract clause (article I, § 10, of the U.S. Constitution) and property interests protected under the fourteenth amendment to the U.S. Constitution?

The question arises in an action brought in the federal court pursuant to § 1983 by Earl Raymond Wiseman, Robert V. Yanders, and…