Tennessee Supreme Court Justice Connie Clark dead at 71

The Tennessee Supreme Court has announced the death of Justice Connie Clark from cancer at the age of 71.

A career lawyer from Middle Tennessee, Clark was appointed to the high court by Governor Phil Bredesen in 2005. She was also retained as a justice following a 2014 election effort to rid the court of three Democratic justices led by Lt. Gov. Ron Ramsey.

Current Chief Justice Roger Page called Clark a mentor and a valuable member of the Tennessee judicial family.

Clark vowed to complete her term which was set to expire in 2022 following her cancer diagnosis earlier this summer.

(PHOTO: TENNESSEE SUPREME COURT)