Samuel T. Wright III

Samuel T. Wright III (born 1955) is a former Associate Justice of the Kentucky Supreme Court. He was elected to the Supreme Court in November 2015, and lost re-election in 2020.

Samuel T. Wright
Wright in 2016
Associate Justice of the Kentucky Supreme Court
In office
December 7, 2015 – January 3, 2021
Preceded byDavid Allen Barber
Succeeded byRobert B. Conley
Personal details
Born1955 (age 67–68)
Letcher County, Kentucky, U.S.
Parent(s)S.T. Wright II and Gladys Hall Wright
Alma materHazard Community College
University of Kentucky College of Law

Early life

Wright was born and raised in Letcher County, Kentucky.[1]

Education

He received an associate degree from Hazard Community College and his bachelor's degree from the University of Kentucky. He earned his Juris Doctor from University of Kentucky College of Law.[1]

Judicial career

Wright previously worked as a trial judge for more than 23 years in Letcher County.[2] He was serving in his fourth term as Letcher County Circuit Court judge when he was elected to the Supreme Court.

He was first appointed to fill a vacancy on Circuit Court by Governor Brereton Jones in 1993 and was then elected. Prior to taking the Circuit Court bench, Justice Wright was the District Court judge for Letcher County for a year.[1]

Prior to becoming a judge, Justice Wright was practicing law as an attorney. After graduating law school in 1981, he returned to Eastern Kentucky to join the law firm of Cook and Wright. He went on to open his own law practice in 1989.[1]

Kentucky Supreme Court

In January 2015 Wright filed paperwork to run for a seat on the Kentucky Supreme Court.[2] He was elected on November 3, 2015, defeating his challenger Janet Stumbo,[3] and was sworn in on December 7, 2015.[4] He replaced David Allen Barber, who was appointed in March 2015.

Personal life

Wright and his wife have two sons living in eastern Kentucky. One is a wildlife biologist; as of 2015 the other was studying computer programming.[1]

Electoral history

Source: Commonwealth of Kentucky, For the office of Justice of the Supreme Court, November 3, 2015

Kentucky Supreme Court Seat 7 election, 2015
Party Candidate Votes %
Nonpartisan Samuel T. Wright III 40,676 51.9
Nonpartisan Janet Stumbo 37,772 48.1

See also

References
  1. "Samuel T. Wright Official Biography". Kentucky Supreme Court. Retrieved April 10, 2016.
  2. Barto, Sally (January 21, 2015). "Wright thought hard about decision to seek new office". The Mountain Eagle. Retrieved April 10, 2016.
  3. Estep, Bill (November 3, 2015). "Letcher Circuit Judge Sam Wright defeats Judge Janet Stumbo for state Supreme Court". Lexington Herald-Leader. Retrieved April 10, 2016.
  4. "Samuel T. Wright of Letcher County sworn in as a justice of the Supreme Court, takes 7th district seat". North Kentucky Tribune. December 7, 2015. Retrieved April 10, 2016.



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