Myron H. Bright (’47), Revered 8th Circuit Appeals Court Judge, Dies at 97

The Law School mourns the passing of Judge Myron H. Bright (’47), who served a record 48 years on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 8th Circuit. Bright passed away Dec. 12 in Fargo, N.D. He was 97. He had been hearing cases until a few weeks ago as a judge with senior status on the court. Fellow judges and other court observers praised his brilliance, congeniality, compassion, and dedication to equal rights for all.

Born and raised in Eveleth, Minn., Bright earned his B.S. in law from the University of Minnesota in 1941. He joined the U.S. Army Air Corps, attaining the rank of captain and serving with distinction in the Asia-Pacific Theater during World War II. He enrolled at the Law School after completing his service.

From 1947 to 1968, Bright practiced with Wattam, Vogel, Vogel, Bright and Peterson in North Dakota, primarily as a litigator. In 1968, President Lyndon B. Johnson appointed him to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 8th Circuit, where he served as an active circuit judge until June 1, 1985; he then continued as a senior circuit judge, considering more than 6,000 cases in all. Bright was also a distinguished professor of law at Saint Louis University School of Law in St. Louis, Mo. (1985-90, and 1990-95 as professor emeritus), and he authored dozens of articles and a leading casebook on objections at trial. His groundbreaking work with jurist-in-residence programs around the U.S. has ensured that law schools and law students are attuned to the work of the courts. In 2014, Bright published an autobiography: Goodbye Mike, Hello Judge: My Journey for Justice (Regional Studies Press, North Dakota State University).

Beyond his work on the bench and in academia, Bright worked tirelessly to advance the rule of law, including through the International Judicial Relations Committee and the Open World Program. Among many other honors, he was named a Minnesota Law Review Distinguished Alumnus and received the Francis Rawle Award for outstanding achievement in post-admission legal education, a Lifetime Achievement Award from the University of North Dakota School of Law, the Herbert Harley Award from the American Judicature Society for promoting effective administration of justice, the Robert Feder Humanitarian of the Year award from Temple Beth El in Fargo, and the Liberty Bell Award from the North Dakota State Bar Association for promoting understanding, respect, and citizens’ obligations to the law, the courts, and the government.

In 2008, the Law School established the Honorable Myron Bright Scholarship Fund, which provides support to new students with academic promise. Stacy L. Bettison (’99), one of the fund’s founding donors and a former law clerk of Judge Bright’s, called him “a man of incredible depth, with an unwavering commitment to the rule of law, people, and his own deeply held principles. The power of his intellect, matched with the passions of his heart, had a tremendous influence on the development of American jurisprudence over the past 60 years and will continue to do so for decades to come. He was a proud Minnesotan, and his influence on the people whose lives he touched—his family, friends, students, colleagues, and law clerks—was profound and indelible.”

To make a donation to the scholarship fund, click here.

Click here to read the Fargo Forum’s coverage of Bright’s life.