diff --git a/webapp/src/edu/cornell/mannlib/vitro/webapp/beans/VClassGroup.java b/webapp/src/edu/cornell/mannlib/vitro/webapp/beans/VClassGroup.java
index 12efffcd1..734d02d42 100644
--- a/webapp/src/edu/cornell/mannlib/vitro/webapp/beans/VClassGroup.java
+++ b/webapp/src/edu/cornell/mannlib/vitro/webapp/beans/VClassGroup.java
@@ -145,6 +145,9 @@ public class VClassGroup extends LinkedList <VClass> implements Comparable<VClas
     /**
      * Sorts VClassGroup objects by group rank, then alphanumeric.
      * @author bdc34 modified by jc55, bjl23
+     * @return a negative integer, zero, or a positive integer as the
+     *         first argument is less than, equal to, or greater than the
+     *         second. 
      */
     public int compareTo(VClassGroup o2) {
     	Collator collator = Collator.getInstance();
@@ -154,7 +157,18 @@ public class VClassGroup extends LinkedList <VClass> implements Comparable<VClas
         }
         int diff = (this.getDisplayRank() - o2.getDisplayRank());
         if (diff == 0 ) {
-            return collator.compare(this.getPublicName(),o2.getPublicName());
+            
+            //put null public name classgrups at end of list
+            if( this.getPublicName() == null ){
+                if( o2.getPublicName() == null )
+                    return 0; //or maybe collator.compare(this.getURI(),o2.getURI()) ???
+                else
+                    return 1;
+            }else if ( o2.getPublicName() == null ){
+                return -1;
+            }else{
+                return collator.compare(this.getPublicName(),o2.getPublicName());
+            }
         }
         return diff;
     }