LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Nebraska Supreme Court Justice John Wright has died at age 72.
Wright died Sunday after a long, undisclosed illness. Chief Justice Michael Heavican said in a statement that Wright’s death leaves a great void on the seven-member court.
Wright was the court’s most experienced member, having served 24 years. He previously served for two years on the Nebraska Court of Appeals and worked for more than two decades as a private practice attorney based in Scottsbluff.
Wright was appointed to the state Supreme Court in 1994 by then-Gov. Ben Nelson.
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Wright’s death creates an opening that Gov. Pete Ricketts will have to fill. It will be the governor’s fifth appointment since he took office in 2015.