Tom Colbert
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Tom Colbert is a justice on the Oklahoma Supreme Court. He was initially appointed to the court in 2004 by Democratic Governor Brad Henry. In 2008, he survived a retention election to win a full six-year term on the court.
Colbert was born December 30th, 1949 in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. He is married to Doretha Guion and they have three children. [1]
Colbert, who served as chief judge of the Oklahoma Court of Civil Appeals prior to joining the state's highest court, is the first black person to sit on the Oklahoma Supreme Court. When he was sworn in, Colbert said, "There are so many people across this country of all races and nationality that never thought they would live to see this day."[2]
Legal background
Colbert earned his Associate's degree from Eastern Oklahoma State College in 1970. He later earned a B.S. degree from Kentucky State University in 1973. Afterwards, Colbert enrolled at Eastern Kentucky University and earned a masters of education in 1976. He earned his Juris Doctor degree from the University of Oklahoma in 1982. Between degrees, Colbert served with the United States Army from 1973 to 1975.
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. Prior to his appointment to the Supreme Court, he served as a Judge on the state Court of Civil Appeals from 1999 to 2004, and was the first African-American to serve in that post. He served as Chief Judge during his final year on the Court.
On October 7th, 2004, Tom Colbert was appointed to the Supreme Court as the Court's 6th district representative. He was appointed by Governor Brad Henry and he is the first African-American to serve on the court.
On November 7th, 2006, Judge Colbert was retained by the people of Oklahoma with 530,036 of 785,074 votes.[3]
Awards, Memberships and Civic Activities
- Member, American Bar Association
- National Bar Association
- Oklahoma Bar Association
- Participates, Track and Field Masters Level
- Tulsa County Bar Association.
Political Affiliation
Democrat.
Black men facing danger, Justice says
Oklahoma Supreme Court Justice Tom Colbert said Friday that black males “are living in a dangerous time.” Speaking during a symposium at Langston University-Tulsa, Colbert said black men are an endangered species and by 2020, 4.5 million black males are expected to be in prison. Colbert is the first black to serve on the state’s Supreme Court.
Colbert also reeled off figures showing how blacks are negatively affected in society. He said seven out of 10 black babies are born out of wedlock and 50 percent of black high school freshmen won’t graduate. The symposium: “African American Men at the Corner of Progress and Peril,” drew attention to the problems black males face in America.[4]
Workers' comp doesn't cover stroke
The Court of Civil Appeals was wrong to grant workers' compensation benefits to a school cafeteria worker who suffered a stroke, the Oklahoma Supreme Court ruled last week. The Oklahoma Workers' Compensation Court had denied Pamela Wilson's claim, and the denial was upheld by a three-judge panel of the Workers' Compensation Court. The Workers' Compensation Court denied Wilson's claim, finding that her vascular stress did not arise out of stress in excess of that experienced in the course of everyday living. But the Court of Civil Appeals disagreed, finding that the lower court had not based its decision on competent evidence. The Supreme Court vacated the opinion of the Court of Civil Appeals and sustained the lower court's decision to deny Wilson's claim. Of the nine-member Supreme Court panel, only one - Justice Tom Colbert - disagreed with the decision to vacate the Appeals Court's ruling.[5]
On the Issues
On Contract Enforcement
2007
Justice Colbert concurred in the majority opinion of Justice James Winchester, which invalidated a clause in a contract between defendant, a cellular phone provider, and defendant, a customer who entered into a contract with defendant.
On Education
2007
Justice Colbert concurred in the majority opinion of Justice Rudolph Hargrave. That opinion affirmed the trial judge's finding that the school district did not adequately demonstrate that a teacher who slapped and otherwise physically attacked a special-needs child deserved to have his employment terminated.
Justice Colbert concurred in the majority opinion of Justice Rudolph Hargrave. That opinion affirmed the trial judge's finding that the school district did not adequately demonstrate that a teacher deserved to have his employment terminated for instructional ineffectiveness and unsatisfactory teaching.
On Elections Law
2006
Justice Colbert concurred in the opinion of Justice Joseph M. Watt invalidating citizens' efforts to place a Tax Payer Bill of Rights (TABOR) on the Oklahoma ballot due to the use of out-of-state petition circulators by the initiative's supporters.
Justice Colbert concurred in the majority opinion of Justice Yvonne Kauger, which invalidated a property-rights based voter initiative that would have protected private property from economic-development and regulatory takings.
Employment issues
2007
Justice Colbert concurred in the opinion of Justice James E. Lavender finding that an employer had the right to terminate the employment of an employee who insisted on pursuing a claim against a third party under Oklahoma's Open Records Act, as there was no "public policy exception" to such a firing.
Property rights
2006
Justice Colbert concurred in the majority opinion of Justice Yvonne Kauger, which invalidated a property-rights based voter initiative what would have protected private property from economic-development and regulatory takings.
External links
References
Portions of this biography were taken from Wikipedia on December 12, 2007.
