Joseph M. Watt

Joseph Michael Watt (born March 8, 1947) is a former Justice of the Oklahoma Supreme Court, who assumed the post in 1992. He was reelected in 1994, 1996, and 2002. From 2003 to 2007, he served two terms as Chief Justice. In 2005, he was reelected to an unprecedented second term as Chief Justice, despite a federal age discrimination lawsuit filed by the Court's then-Vice Chief Justice Marian P. Opala, then 83 years old, who claimed Supreme Court rules were changed to prevent Opala from becoming chief justice. Justice Watt sent a letter to Governor Mary Fallin on October 2, 2017, stating that he would retire from the Oklahoma Supreme Court effective December 31, 2017.

Early life and education Watt was born in Austin, Texas and graduated from Austin High School in 1965. In 1969, he earned a bachelor's degree majoring in history and government from Texas Tech University. He earned his J.D. from the University of Texas School of Law in 1972. In 1972, he was also named Outstanding Law Student in the Nation by the Delta Theta Phi Law Fraternity, and was elected to the University of Texas Circle of Omicron Delta Kappa National Honorary Leadership. After being admitted to practice law in both Oklahoma and Texas in 1973, he moved to Altus, Oklahoma,

Family Little has been published about Watt's private life, except that he is married to Cathy Watt, and has four children, and three grandchildren.