Sep 25, 2020

1st female Nebraska federal district court judge dies at 66

Posted Sep 25, 2020 2:30 AM
Judge Laurie Smith Camp
Judge Laurie Smith Camp

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) - Laurie Smith Camp, a longtime Nebraska attorney who became the first woman to serve on the state's federal district court, died unexpectedly overnight at age 66, court officials said Thursday.

John M. Gerrard, the chief judge of Nebraska's federal district court, said Smith Camp died peacefully at her home. The cause of her death wasn't disclosed.

Smith Camp was appointed to the court by President George W. Bush in 2001 and was confirmed unanimously by the Senate. She assumed senior judge status in 2018, meaning she was semi-retired but continued to carry an active caseload.

"Judge Smith Camp was not just an outstanding judge and a true leader on our court, but she was a gracious mentor, friend and confidant to so many individuals in both the courthouse and the community," Gerrard said.

"She was truly the Ruth Bader Ginsburg of the Nebraska legal community," he added, referring to the U.S. Supreme Court justice who died last week. "Like Justice Ginsburg, Judge Smith Camp was a pioneer and advocate of women's rights, a wonderful mother, and she did it all with a quiet grace, compassion and leading by example."

Smith Camp was born in Omaha in 1953 and graduated with distinction from Stanford University in 1974. She earned a law degree from the University of Nebraska in 1977 and served as editor-in-chief of the Nebraska Law Review.

Before she was appointed to the bench, she had a private law practice in Nebraska and Kansas from 1977 until 1980 before she took a job with Nebraska's Department of Correctional Services. In 1991, she went to work for the Nebraska attorney general's office and served in various prominent roles.

In 2019, she was elected to serve as the 2020-21 president of the Omaha Bar Association.

Smith Camp is survived by two children.