Tom Colbert was a justice of the Oklahoma Supreme Court. He served on the court from 2004 to 2021. He retired from the court on February 1, 2021. He was appointed to the court on October 7, 2004, by Democratic Governor Brad Henry. He was retained by voters in 2008, and again in 2014 and 2020. In November 2012, Colbert's fellow justices chose him to be the chief justice of the Oklahoma Supreme Court. His term in that position lasted from January 1, 2013, to December 31, 2014. Colbert, who served as chief judge of the Oklahoma Court of Civil Appeals prior to joining the state's highest court, was the first black justice 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." Colbert retired on February 1, 2021.
