photo by: AP File Photo

Shawnee County, Kansas, District Judge Evelyn Wilson listens to Gov. Laura Kelly talk about Wilson's appointment to the Kansas Supreme Court during a news conference, Monday, Dec. 16, 2019, at the Statehouse in Topeka, Kansas.

Former Kansas Supreme Court Justice Evelyn Wilson died Saturday following a battle with ALS, or Lou Gehrig’s disease.

Wilson served on the highest court from 2020 to July 2025, when she resigned after her diagnosis.

Chief Justice Eric Rosen said in a statement Saturday on behalf of the court that Wilson “faced her illness with optimism and great courage.”

“Justice Wilson was a deeply principled woman whose enduring faith and commitment to the law were evident in her work as an attorney, judge, and justice,” Rosen said. “She was drawn to the law as a champion for people who needed help advocating for their rights, a trait that carried over to her tenure as a judge.”

Gov. Laura Kelly appointed Wilson to the bench in 2019. Before that, Wilson served as a judge for 15 years in Shawnee County District Court, the last five as the court’s chief judge.

Wilson, a Smith Center native, graduated from Bethany College in Lindsborg and earned her law degree at Washburn University in Topeka. She practiced law in Topeka and northwest Kansas before becoming a judge.

“It was important to her that a person in her courtroom feel respected and heard, even when the law required her to rule against them,” Rosen said. “Her decisions were clear, well-reasoned, understandable, and most of all, fair.”