13 Facts About Tom Colbert

Tom Colbert was born on December 30,1949 and is a former Associate Justice of the Oklahoma Supreme Court.

Tom Colbert 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.

Tom Colbert was born in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, and graduated from high school in Sapulpa, Oklahoma.

Tom Colbert soon moved back to Oklahoma, where he entered the University of Oklahoma College of Law, and earned and a Juris Doctor degree in 1982.

Tom Colbert was then hired as assistant dean at Marquette University Law School, where he worked until 1984.

In between his attendance at EKU and OU, Tom Colbert served in the Criminal Investigation Division of the United States Army.

Tom Colbert entered private law practice in Oklahoma City in 1986.

Tom 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 19,2021, Tom Colbert's retirement was announced by the Oklahoma Supreme Court, effective February 1 of the same year.

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

Tom Colbert is married to Dorthea and has three adult children.

Tom Colbert was raised by a single mother, Edith Colbert, of Sapulpa.

Tom Colbert 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.