Tom Colbert

Who is Tom Colbert?

Tom Colbert is the Chief Justice of the Oklahoma Supreme Court. He was appointed to the Court's 6 seat in 2004, by Governor Brad Henry and is the first African-American to serve on the court.

He was born in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. His educational background includes an Associate's degree from East Central University, a B.S. degree from Kentucky State University, an M.Ed. from Eastern Kentucky University, and a J.D. from the University of Oklahoma. In between his attendance at EKU and OU, he served in the Criminal Investigation Division of the United States Army. Following graduation from law school in 1982, he moved to Milwaukee, Wisconsin to accept the post of Assistant Dean of the Law School at Marquette University, serving until 1984. Returning to Oklahoma in the same year, he was appointed as an Assistant District Attorney in Oklahoma County, serving in that capacity until 1986. Over the next decade, he alternated between private practice and service as an attorney with the Oklahoma Department of Human Services. From 1999 to 2004, he served as a Judge on the Oklahoma Court of Civil Appeals and was the first African-American to serve on the Court. Prior to his appointment to the state Supreme Court, he had briefly served as Chief Judge of the Oklahoma Court of Civil Appeals in 2004.