Ernest William Chambers (born July 10, 1937)[1] is an American politician and civil rights activist who represented North Omaha's 11th District in the Nebraska State Legislature from 1971 to 2009 and again from 2013 to 2021.

[2] Chambers is the longest-serving state senator in Nebraska history, having represented North Omaha for 46 years.

In July, the Nebraska National Guard was summoned to restore order after police and black teenagers clashed three nights in a row.

[12] Chambers headed a committee of the Near North Side Police-Community Relations Council, collated information, and presented numerous complaints about the police to city officials.

[12] The African-American community had previously been led by more established organizations like Omaha Urban League and the local chapter of the NAACP, not an emerging young anti-establishment leader like Chambers.

But the amendment permits senators to seek reelection to their office after sitting out for four years, and Chambers defeated incumbent Brenda Council in 2012 by a "landslide".

[18][19] Because of a legislative resolution Chambers introduced in 1980, Nebraska became the first state to divest from South Africa in protest of apartheid.

[22] The resolution argued that apartheid was contrary to Nebraska's principles of human rights and legal equality.

[25] Chambers filed a lawsuit in 1980 attempting to end the Legislature's practice of beginning its session with a prayer offered by a state-supported chaplain, arguing that it was unconstitutional under the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment.

[28] Chambers has promoted recognizing NCAA student athletes as state employees since the 1980s, arguing that they are generating revenue for their universities without any legal benefits for doing so, which encourages illegal payments and gifts.

Opponents of the anti-discrimination legislation formed a Nebraska chapter of the Traditional Values Coalition and brought activist Lou Sheldon to Lincoln to organize antigay rallies outside the Capitol building.

"[39] Omaha Schools claimed that the usurpation was necessary to avoid financial and racial inequity, but supporters of LB 1024 contested the district's expansion, favoring more localized control.

"[45] The Westboro Baptist Church filed an amicus brief in the lawsuit arguing that Chambers did not have standing to sue, and that he was "fully deserving of the outpourings of God's fierce wrath."

[45] Chambers is a firm opponent of the death penalty, and introduced a bill to repeal Nebraska's capital punishment law at the start of each legislative session, 36 times over 40 years.

[48][49] The bill, LB268,[50] passed the legislature in 1979 but could not overcome Governor Charles Thone's veto; the issue remained a primary focus of his while in office.

[52][53][54] In 2000, a term-limit amendment was passed that essentially forced Chambers—and half of Nebraska's state senators[66]—out of office in 2008.

[16] On March 20, 2015, during a Judiciary Committee hearing on allowing guns in bars (LB 635), Chambers said, "My ISIS is the police.

"[70][71] He said his comments were intended to criticize the failure to prosecute Alvin Lugod, the Omaha police officer who fatally shot Danny Elrod on February 23.

Omaha Police Chief Todd Schmaderer responded, "The comments that Senator Ernie Chambers made today at the Nebraska Unicameral are not only reprehensible but are completely without merit."

Omaha Mayor Jean Stothert also criticized Chambers, saying in a press release that he should be looking for ways to improve public safety instead of "comparing police officers to terrorists.

[75] Stothert, Police Chief Todd Schmaderer, and Nebraska Attorney General Doug Peterson were also critical, and the hashtag #supportblue was organized in response to Chambers's comments.

In January 2017, Sciara filled a protest challenge to the legislature, claiming Chambers did not live in the district he was elected to represent and was thus ineligible to hold office.

"[77] On April 20, 2017, Nebraska state senators voted 42-0 to dismiss Sciara's challenge, following the recommendation of a special legislative committee formed to evaluate the claim.

[78][79] Chambers is a longtime civil rights activist and the most prominent and outspoken African-American leader in the state.

[83] The Freedom from Religion Foundation awarded Chambers a plaque naming him a "Hero of the First Amendment" at their annual convention in 2005 in Orlando.