On December 1, 1990, she was reassigned to serve only on the Eastern District of Arkansas. Wright served as chief judge of that District from 1998 to 2005. She took senior status on August 22, 2013.
Wright also presided over Paula Jones' sexual harassment lawsuit against President Clinton. The claims were based on activity alleged to have taken place when Clinton was Governor of Arkansas and Jones worked in his office. Wright refused to grant Clinton absolute presidential immunity against the lawsuit, but nonetheless ruled that a sitting president could not be sued and deferred his trial until after his presidential term was over.[4] The ruling to keep Jones from suing Clinton, while he was still president, was overturned by the Eighth Circuit.[2]
Clinton then petitioned the U.S. Supreme Court to consider Wright's ruling.[2] In a unanimous decision, the Supreme Court affirmed the decision of the Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals, thus allowing Jones' suit to go to trial while Clinton was still in office.[5]
On April 1, 1998, Wright granted summary judgment to Clinton in a 39-page ruling that expressed exasperation with both Jones and her lawyers, and stated that she believed the case to be without legal merit.[6] Jones' appeal to the Eighth Circuit was dismissed when Clinton settled with her out of court.[7]
On April 12, 1999, Wright issued an order finding Bill Clinton to be in civil contempt of court.[8][9]
Describing Clinton's conduct repeatedly as "contumacious", Webber wrote: "The record demonstrates by clear and convincing evidence that the President responded to plaintiff [Paula Jones]'s questions by giving false, misleading, and evasive answers that were designed to obstruct the judicial process ... It is difficult to construe the President's sworn statements in this civil lawsuit concerning his relationship with Ms. Lewinsky as anything other than a willful refusal to obey this court's discovery orders.... Simply put, the President's deposition testimony regarding whether he had ever been alone with Ms. Lewinsky was intentionally false, and his statements regarding whether he had ever engaged in sexual relations with Ms. Lewinsky likewise were intentionally false, notwithstanding tortured definitions and interpretations of the term 'sexual relations'."[10]
Wright was also involved with Kenneth Starr's investigation of the Whitewater scandal, and issued numerous rulings, partly favorable and partly unfavorable, to Clinton.[2] Notably, Wright imprisoned Susan McDougal for the maximum 18 months for civil contempt of court when McDougal refused to answer "three questions" about whether Clinton lied in his testimony.[11]
In 1983,[14] Wright married Robert R. Wright III, law professor and co-founder of The University of Arkansas at Little Rock's law school.[15] Together Robert and Susan had a daughter, Robin.[14] On June 4, 2006, Robert R. Wright III, aged 74, died.[15]
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Shiffman, John; Cooke, Kristina (June 21, 2013). "The judges who preside over America's secret court". Reuters. Archived from the original on June 23, 2013. Retrieved July 1, 2013. Twelve of the 14 judges who have served this year on the most secret court in America are Republicans and half are former prosecutors.
