U.S. District Court of Nebraska Judge Richard Kopf. (Courtesy of the U.S. District Court of Nebraska)OMAHA–(KFOR Jan. 23)–Former U.S. District Court Judge Richard Kopf passed away on Jan. 17. He was 78-years-old. Judge Kopf served 30 years as the U.S. District Court judge in Nebraska. He was nominated to the federal bench in 1992 by President George H.W. Bush, and served nearly two decades before transitioning to senior status in December 2011. He moved to inactive senior status on Dec. 30, 2022. Kopf, who was born in Toledo, Ohio, earned his undergraduate degree from Kearney State College in 1969, and his law degree from the University of Nebraska College of Law in 1972. He clerked for two years, before going into private practice in Lexington and then on to be a magistrate judge. No funeral service has been planned.