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 1985–86. After years of dedicated legal service, he earned a PhD in history from the University of Nebraska–Lincoln and is currently an adjunct professor of history at Nebraska Wesleyan University.

"[A] book-length . . . review of decisions, judgments and trends during 57 consecutive years of Nebraska Supreme Court life really is a noteworthy and valuable publication. . . . There's really a lot here, either to be learned or to stir memory."—Dick Herman, Lincoln Journal Star "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 Nebraska's legal and political history."—Samuel Van Pelt, The Nebraska Lawyer "Rich detail about cases and personalities that would appeal to lay readers."—Michael Kelly, Omaha World-Herald "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."—Peter J. Longo, Western Historical Quarterly "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."—Cloyd Clark, Great Plains Research

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 1985–86. After years of dedicated legal service, he earned a PhD in history from the University of Nebraska–Lincoln and is currently an adjunct professor of history at Nebraska Wesleyan University.

"[A] book-length . . . review of decisions, judgments and trends during 57 consecutive years of Nebraska Supreme Court life really is a noteworthy and valuable publication. . . . There's really a lot here, either to be learned or to stir memory."—Dick Herman, Lincoln Journal Star "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 Nebraska's legal and political history."—Samuel Van Pelt, The Nebraska Lawyer "Rich detail about cases and personalities that would appeal to lay readers."—Michael Kelly, Omaha World-Herald "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."—Peter J. Longo, Western Historical Quarterly "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."—Cloyd Clark, Great Plains Research