Nebraska Supreme Court Justice John Wright dies following lengthy illness

Colleagues and friends of Nebraska Supreme Court Justice John Wright remembered him for his years on the bench, his inquisitive mind and ability to cut through legalese and focus on issues.

He died Sunday March 18, 2018 at age 72 following a lengthy illness.

"He was a much-loved member of the Supreme Court and the Court of Appeals. His loss leaves a great void as our longest-serving (24 years), most experienced member of the bench," Chief Justice Mike Heavican said in a news release.

Heavican said justices were deeply saddened by the news of Wright's death.

Wright had served on the state's highest court since 1994, and was on the Court of Appeals for three years before that. He was in private practice in Scottsbluff for 21 years before being named to the newly formed appellate court along with eventual Justice William Connolly.

Connolly, Wright's longtime colleague and friend who retired from the Supreme Court in 2016,  remembered Wright for his quick wit, dry sense of humor and inquisitive mind.

"He had the ability to find the flashpoint in an appeal, and he could quickly separate the legalese from the real issues," he said.

And once Wright made up his mind after deliberation and discussion, there was no moving him, Connolly said.

Wright, a biology major as an undergraduate who played on the Husker baseball team, grasped early the nuances of DNA, had a good, legal mind and was one of the first to dissent with the majority that malice was a necessary element on a second-degree murder charge, Connolly said. (The majority eventually agreed with Wright.)

But he also was a great conversationalist, who could just as quickly tell you how to shingle a roof, pour concrete or hit the bases to get home quickest. And he liked fly-fishing.

"He was just an excellent judge and a better human being," Connolly said.

The court is going to miss Wright for his institutional knowledge and legal knowledge, he said.

He was a U.S. Army Veteran and he served with the Nebraska National Guard for six years.

He is survived by his wife, Debbie; children: Jane Jones (Brian), Charlie Wright, John F. Wright (Kristina), and Ellen Wright; five grandchildren; brother, Charles E. Wright (Suzie).

Services were held March 22nd First Plymouth Church in Lincoln, NE.

The text here was abstracted from the Scottsbluff Star-Herald and the Lincoln Journal websites