Douglas L. Combs (born October 17, 1951) is an associate justice of the

Oklahoma Supreme Court The Supreme Court of Oklahoma is a court of appeal for non-criminal cases, one of the two highest judicial bodies in the U.S. state of Oklahoma, and leads the judiciary of Oklahoma, the judicial branch of the government of Oklahoma.

. He was appointed by Governor

Brad Henry Charles Bradford Henry (born July 10, 1963) is an American lawyer and politician who was the 26th governor of Oklahoma from 2003 to 2011. A member of the Democratic Party, he was elected governor in 2002. Henry won re-election for a second term ...

to the

, effective January 1, 2011, filling a vacancy created by the retirement of Justice Rudolph Hargrave.Office of Governor Brad Henry,
Gov. Henry Names Judge Doug Combs to State Supreme Court
," November 5, 2010 (accessed November 10, 2010). Combs was selected to become Chief Justice of the Oklahoma Supreme Court, effective December 1, 2016 and served until December 31, 2018.Misa, Vicky. "Oklahoma Supreme Court: Combs named Chief Justice." Shawnee ''News-Star''. November 24, 2016.
Accessed November 29, 2016.

Early life

Justice Combs was born on October 17, 1951 in

Shawnee, Oklahoma Shawnee ( sac, Shânîheki) is a city in Pottawatomie County, Oklahoma, United States. The population was 29,857 in 2010, a 4.9 percent increase from the figure of 28,692 in 2000. The city is part of the Oklahoma City-Shawnee Combined Statistical ...

, which he still considers home. Combs is also a member of the

Muscogee Nation The Muscogee Nation, or Muscogee (Creek) Nation, is a federally recognized Native American tribe based in the U.S. state of Oklahoma. The nation descends from the historic Muscogee Confederacy, a large group of indigenous peoples of the Southe ...

. Justice Combs graduated from Shawnee High School in 1969. He attended St. Gregory's Junior College in Shawnee (now

St. Gregory's University St. Gregory's University was a private Catholic university. It was one of the oldest institutions of higher learning in the U.S. state of Oklahoma. It had its main campus in Shawnee and an additional campus in Tulsa. The university closed its oper ...

), and the

University of Oklahoma , mottoeng = "For the benefit of the Citizen and the State" , type = Public research university , established = , academic_affiliations = , endowment = $2.7billion (2021) , pr ...

to earn a bachelor's degree in political science in 1973. He earned his Juris Doctor from the

Oklahoma City University School of Law Oklahoma City University School of Law, also known as OCU Law, is the law school of Oklahoma City University. OCU Law is located in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma and was founded in 1907. OCU Law was located in the Sarkeys Law Center on the southwest si ...

in 1976 and was admitted to the bar the same year. Prior to taking the bench, Combs was in private practice, an assistant state attorney general and as a deputy clerk for the Oklahoma Supreme Court.

Legal career

Justice Combs has served as chief judge of the twenty-third judicial district and as the presiding judge of the North Central Administrative Judicial District. He served as a board member of the Oklahoma Judicial Conference from 2006 to 2010 and held the office of president of the Oklahoma Judicial Conference in 2009. Combs was appointed by Governor Brad Henry as Justice to the Supreme Court of Oklahoma on January 1, 2011. He served as district judge in the twenty-third judicial district from 2003 through 2010, and served as special district judge from 1995 to 2003. He has served as Vice Chief Justice for the term prior to being selected chief justice. He was selected by the court to become Chief Justice for a two-year term. Normally, his term would have begun on January 1, but Combs agreed to start on December 1, 2016, due to the early retirement of Chief Justice John Reif for health issues. Justice

Noma Gurich Noma D. Gurich (born September 26, 1952) is an American attorney and jurist who is serving as an associate justice of the Oklahoma Supreme Court. Gurich was appointed the State's highest court by Governor Brad Henry in 2010 and assumed office on ...

replaced Combs as Vice Chief Justice in 2017.

Personal life

Justice Combs has been married to Janet Lea Combs for 42 years. She formerly owned and operated the Shawnee Ballet Company, a dance studio until her retirement in 2010. The Combs are members of St. Paul's Methodist Church of Shawnee. They have two adult children, Christopher and Eric, both attorneys.

References

, - {{DEFAULTSORT:Combs, Douglas L. 1951 births 21st-century American judges Chief Justices of the Oklahoma Supreme Court Living people Oklahoma City University alumni People from Shawnee, Oklahoma St. Gregory's University alumni University of Oklahoma alumni Justices of the Oklahoma Supreme Court Shawnee High School (Oklahoma) alumni Muscogee (Creek) Nation people 20th-century Native Americans 21st-century Native Americans