State Sen. Kathleen Kauth says the Nebraska Legislature is preparing for a potential impeachment process against University of Nebraska Regent Elizabeth O’Connor, following her arrest in a crash that left one woman seriously injured.
Kauth told KLIN News she briefed the Government, Military and Veterans Affairs Committee last week on the rarely used procedure, noting impeachment has occurred only twice in state history.
“Pretty much everyone I’ve spoken to in the Legislature was really just hoping she would do the right thing and resign,” Kauth said. “When it didn’t appear she was going to, we started saying, ‘OK, how does this work?’ Once we found out the Legislature is the only body that can actually impeach an elected official, it became very clear this is our responsibility.”
On the first day of the 2026 legislative session, Kauth plans to introduce a resolution to open an investigation and make police reports and victim statements available to senators. She said the standard for impeachment is “clear and convincing evidence,” not the “beyond a reasonable doubt” threshold used in criminal cases.
If O’Connor does not resign by a deadline lawmakers set, Kauth said she will file articles of impeachment requiring a simple majority—25 votes—to advance. The Nebraska Supreme Court would then conduct the trial and decide whether removal from office is warranted.
“We might not like the idea of impeaching a fellow elected official, but the vast majority of senators I’ve spoken to agree it’s the right thing to do,” Kauth said. “No elected official of any party or any stripe should have such an egregious failure of good judgment and then expect to continue doing something at such a high level.”
Kauth said she and other lawmakers have spoken with the victim family, including the father of three girls injured in the crash, and son of the passenger who suffered a broken back and pelvis.
“The grandmother is probably going to be using a walker for the rest of her life. She’s only 51 years old,” Kauth said. “There’s such a travesty. We cannot allow this to go unanswered.”
If O’Connor resigns before January, Kauth said impeachment proceedings would be dropped.