Justice Wright sworn-in as Supreme Court justice

FRANKFORT, Ky. (WTVQ) – Justice Samuel T. Wright III was formally sworn in as a justice of the Supreme Court of Kentucky Monday by Chief Justice of Kentucky John D. Minton Jr. Justice Wright was joined by his wife, children, and great nephews and nieces at the investiture service. The event took place in the Supreme Court Courtroom at the state Capitol in Frankfort.

Chief Justice Minton, other Supreme Court justices, former Justice Will T. Scott and Sen. Johnny Ray Turner, who represents four counties in Justice Wright’s district, were among those who provided remarks during the service. Justice Wright was elected in November 2015 to serve as the justice from the 7th Supreme Court District, which is comprised of 22 Eastern Kentucky counties. He is to fulfill the unexpired portion of Justice Scott’s term, which runs through 2020.

Justice Wright was first sworn in as a justice by Chief Justice Minton in his hometown of Letcher County in November.

“Your predecessor on this court, Justice Will T. Scott, commented at your swearing-in ceremony last month in Whitesburg that the people of the Eastern Kentucky mountains swelled with pride as you took the oath to become the next justice of the Supreme Court of Kentucky from the 7th Supreme Court District,” Chief Justice Minton said. “As Justice Scott said, they swelled with pride because they knew that they were sending one of their own to take the mountains with him to Frankfort. It must be gratifying that the people who know you best couldn’t be prouder of you or more supportive of you as you take your seat on this bench. The area’s affection for you was apparent as hundreds of residents from Letcher and surrounding counties gathered in front of the courthouse to be a part of your swearing-in ceremony.”

Justice Wright served as a Letcher County trial court judge for more than two decades before being elected to the Supreme Court.

“Today you leave the trial bench behind but you bring a deep well of experience with you,” Chief Justice Minton said. “That trial court experience has fitted you to be at once a significant contributing member of this court.”

Chief Justice Minton said that it was the Supreme Court’s duty to come together as a collegial court to get the law right for citizens.

“We welcome you as our colleague on this court and look forward to the months and years ahead in a collective endeavor to get the law right for the people of the commonwealth we all serve,” he said.

Justice Wright said, “It is an honor and a joy to work on important cases at the leading edge of the law. It is a privilege to have the opportunity to discuss the cases and hear the insights and thoughts of such an awesome assemblage of servants as the other justices.”

He spoke at the investiture about his experience campaigning throughout the 7th Supreme Court District and discussed the importance of talking with people in the district about their vision for Kentucky.

Justice Scott left the 7th Supreme Court District seat open when he resigned in January to run for governor. Justice David Allen Barber filled the vacancy from March until Justice Wright’s election in November.

The counties in the 7th Supreme Court District are Boyd, Breathitt, Carter, Elliott, Floyd, Greenup, Harlan, Johnson, Knott, Lawrence, Letcher, Magoffin, Martin, Menifee, Montgomery, Morgan, Owsley, Perry, Pike, Powell, Rowan and Wolfe.

Justice Wright Bio
Justice Wright was elected to the Supreme Court in November 2015 and serves as the justice from the 7th Supreme Court District. The district is comprised of 22 Eastern Kentucky counties.

Justice Wright previously worked as a trial judge for more than 23 years in Letcher County, where he was born and raised. 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 Gov. 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. Gov. Jones appointed him to the district judgeship and he was then elected to the office.

While serving as a trial judge, Justice Wright established the first parent education clinic in Eastern Kentucky to help reduce the emotional harm children suffer in divorce. In 2004, he started the Letcher County Drug Court program with a grant to provide treatment and support for people with substance abuse problems who committed crimes associated with their addictions. The program provides mental health services and court monitoring. Letcher County Fiscal Court passed a resolution describing the results of the program in Letcher County as “amazingly successful.” Justice Wright obtained a grant in 2015 to expand the program.

Prior to becoming a judge, Justice Wright was practicing law as an attorney. After earning his juris doctor from the University of Kentucky College of Law in Lexington 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.

In high school, Justice Wright worked evenings and weekends in his family’s small country store. His mother ran the store and he and his sister were raised in an apartment in the back of the business. His father was a probation and parole officer. In college, Justice Wright spent his summers working at a local coal tipple. He received an associate’s degree from Hazard Community College and his bachelor’s degree from UK.

Justice Wright is married to his college sweetheart and the couple has two sons who have remained in the Eastern Kentucky region. One son is a wildlife biologist and the other is studying computer programming.