Lyle Denniston (‘55) was awarded the Distinguished Nebraskan Award on Oct. 24, 2023 in Washington, D.C. The Distinguished Nebraskan Award recognizes exceptional Nebraskans who have made a significant impact in their respective fields.
Denniston, who was born in Nebraska City, graduated in 1955 with a journalism major and a political science minor. He later went on to Georgetown University to earn a master’s degree in American History with a minor in political science.
Denniston has been reporting on the U.S. Supreme Court since 1958 and is the only person to be honored with a plaque in the Supreme Court press room.
He spent most of his career writing for newspapers, his focus covering the courts and legal subjects, up until 2004. He also covered the court for SCOTUSblog.com, an online blog featuring news and analysis of the Supreme Court and reported for Boston radio station WBUR, for “Justice Talking,” a program on National Public Radio.
In 2015, Denniston was inducted into the Nebraska Press Association’s Hall of Fame. Most recently, Denniston wrote for the online blog of the National Constitution Center, “Constitution Daily” about the Supreme Court in 2018.
“Lyle Denniston exemplifies the essence of Nebraska's journalistic spirit,” Shari Veil, Dean of Nebraska’s College of Journalism and Mass Communications said. “His decades-long commitment to covering The Supreme Court sets a standard for aspiring journalists in our college.”
