Tom Colbert

Tom Colbert (born December 30, 1949) is a former Associate 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 the court. On January 4, 2013, he was sworn in as Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, and served In that post until January 2015. After completing his two-year term as Chief Justice, he resumed his previous position on the court as Associate Justice representing the 6th Judicial District. On January 19, 2021, Colbert’s retirement was announced by the Oklahoma Supreme Court, effective February 1 of the same year.

Early life 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 Bachelor of Science degree from Kentucky State University in 1973. After completing his service in the U.S. Army, he enrolled in Eastern Kentucky University, where he earned a master's degree in Health Education, then moved to Chicago to begin teaching in the public schools.

He soon moved back to Oklahoma, where he entered the University of Oklahoma College of Law, and earned and a Juris Doctor degree in 1982. He was then hired as assistant dean at Marquette University Law School, where he worked until 1984. Over the next decade, he alternated between private practice and service as an attorney with the Oklahoma Department of Human Services. Between 1986 and 2000 he also served as assistant general counsel for the Oklahoma Department of Human Services. Colbert briefly served as Chief Judge of the Oklahoma Court of Civil Appeals prior to his appointment to the Oklahoma Supreme Court District 6 seat in 2004, by Governor Brad Henry, becoming the first African-American to serve on the court. On January 4, 2013, he was sworn in as Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, replacing former Chief Justice Steven W. Taylor. After serving his two-year term as Chief Justice, he returned to his former status on the Supreme Court representing the 6th Judicial District.

Professional associations Colbert is a member of the Tulsa Bar Association, the Oklahoma Bar Association, the American Bar Association, and the National Bar Association.

Personal

Colbert is married to Dorthea (née Guion) and has three adult children. He was raised by a single mother, Edith Colbert, of Sapulpa.

During his swearing-in ceremony as chief justice in 2013, Colbert told the assembled guests that he had once considered resigning from the Oklahoma Supreme Court to pursue a more remunerative career as a private lawyer. He said that his wife and mother talked him out of the idea, saying that he would be letting down so many other people who had made sacrifices so that he could attain such an influential position.