Tom Colbert

Tom Colbert
Born	December 30, 1949 Oklahoma City
Occupation	Attorney
Years active	1982 - Present

Tom Colbert (born December 30, 1949) is the Chief Justice of the Oklahoma Supreme Court. He was appointed to the Court's District 6 seat in 2004, by Governor Brad Henry, becoming the first African-American to serve on this court. On January 4, 2013, he was sworn in as Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, replacing the former Chief Justice Steven Taylor.

Colbert was born in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, and graduated from high school in Sapulpa, Oklahoma. His educational background includes an associate degree from Eastern Oklahoma State College, and a B.S. degree from Kentucky State University in 1973. After completing his enlistment, he enrolled in Eastern Kentucky University, where he earned a Master's degree in Education, then moved to Chicago to begin teaching in the public schools.

He soon moved back to Oklahoma, where he entered Oklahoma University School of Law, and earned and a J.D. degree in 1982. He then was hired as assistant dean at Marquette University Law School, where he worked until 1984.

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. He entered a private law practice in Oklahoma City in 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 that Court. Colbert briefly served as Chief Judge of the Oklahoma Court of Civil Appeals in 2004, then was appointed to the Oklahoma Supreme Court District 6 seat in 2004, by Governor Brad Henry, becoming the first African-American to serve on this court. On January 4, 2013, he was sworn in as Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, replacing the former Chief Justice Steven Taylor.

...
Wikipedia