Smith Camp was the first woman appointed as U.S. district judge in the state and, before that, the state’s first female deputy attorney general in charge of criminal matters.

But it was her professionalism, leadership and grace that colleagues cited Thursday, as news spread about her death Wednesday night. Chief U.S. District Judge John Gerrard said she died unexpectedly and peacefully at her home. She was 66.

Gerrard compared her to U.S. Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, whose death last week ended a trailblazing career.

“Judge Smith Camp was not just an outstanding judge and a true leader on our Court, but she was a gracious mentor, friend, and confidante to so many individuals in both the courthouse and the community,” he wrote. “She truly was the Ruth Bader Ginsburg of the Nebraska legal community.

“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,” he said. “Her legacy is profound and her historical mark on Nebraska’s federal court is permanent.”

An Omaha native, Smith Camp was named to the federal court by President George W. Bush in 2001. Her nomination won support from both Republicans and Democrats in Nebraska, including then-U.S. Sen. Ben Nelson, and she was confirmed by a unanimous vote of the Senate.

She became the chief judge for the District of Nebraska in 2011 and held that position until assuming senior judge status in 2018. As a senior judge, she continued to carry an active caseload. On the bench, she ruled in some high-profile cases, including challenges to state laws limiting picketing of funerals and requiring women to undergo extensive health screenings before abortions.

Sen. Deb Fischer described Smith Camp on Thursday as a friend, a well-respected jurist and one of Nebraska’s “finest citizens.” Two years ago, when Smith Camp took senior status, Fischer called her a role model for Nebraskans.

“Her professionalism leaves a legacy for all jurists who will succeed her to follow,” she said.

Smith Camp graduated with distinction from Stanford University in 1974 and earned her law degree in 1977 from the University of Nebraska College of Law, where she served as editor-in-chief of the Nebraska Law Review.

Before being appointed to the bench, she was in private practice in Nebraska and Kansas and spent 24 years working in state government. She served as general counsel to the State Corrections Department from 1980 to 1991 and headed the Nebraska Attorney General’s civil rights section from 1991 to 1995.

Former Attorney General Don Stenberg named her the chief deputy attorney general for criminal matters in 1995, a job she held until being named to the federal bench. Stenberg recalled her Thursday as being a very smart lawyer and a very nice person.

“It’s a real loss for Nebraska, and frankly it’s quite a shock,” he said.

Gov. Pete Ricketts also expressed shock and sadness at her death. Outside her legal career, he said, she was a friend to the arts and a deeply involved member of the community.

“We celebrate her work and will long remember her contributions to the Good Life,” he said.

Omaha Mayor Jean Stothert, the city’s first female mayor, was sworn in by Smith Camp when she took office.

“She was a role model for all women in leadership, displaying expertise in her courtroom, strength, grace and poise — qualities I admire,” Stothert said Thursday.

Last year, Smith Camp was elected as the 2020-21 president of the Omaha Bar Association.