John L. Nickels (January 16, 1931 – June 24, 2013) was an American jurist.

Born in Aurora, Illinois, Nickels served in the United States Army in 1954.

[2] He served as an elected member of the Waubonsee Community College Board of Trustees, the Kane County Zoning Board of Appeals, and the Kane County Planning Commission prior to his judicial career.

From 1992 to 1998, he served as an Illinois Supreme Court justice.

He died in Maple Park, Illinois, where he had lived on his farm.