Ralph B. Hodges (also known as R. B. Hodges) was born and raised in Anadarko, Oklahoma. He earned his J. D. degree from the University of Oklahoma. After serving as Bryan County Attorney and as District Judge, Hodges was appointed to the Oklahoma Supreme Court by Governor

Henry Bellmon Henry Louis Bellmon (September 3, 1921 – September 29, 2009) was an American Republican Party (United States), Republican politician from the U.S. State of Oklahoma. A member of the Oklahoma Legislature, he went on to become both the 18th a ...

on April 19, 1965, as Associate Justice, where he would serve until his retirement from the Court in 2004. During that time he also served as Chief 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.

from 1977–1978 and 1993–1994.

Early life and education

Born in Anadarko, Oklahoma to Dewey and Pearl Hodges on August 4, 1930, Hodges graduated from Anadarko High School in 1948, where he lettered in football and baseball. Hodges received his Bachelor of Arts from Oklahoma Baptist University in 1952 and his

Juris Doctor The Juris Doctor (J.D. or JD), also known as Doctor of Jurisprudence (J.D., JD, D.Jur., or DJur), is a graduate-entry professional degree in law and one of several Doctor of Law degrees. The J.D. is the standard degree obtained to practice law ...

from the

University of Oklahoma The University of Oklahoma (OU) is a Public university, public research university in Norman, Oklahoma. Founded in 1890, it had existed in Oklahoma Territory near Indian Territory for 17 years before the two Territories became the state of Oklahom ...

in 1954.

Career in law

After graduating from law school Hodges was in private practice in

Durant, Oklahoma Durant () is a city in Bryan County, Oklahoma, United States that serves as the headquarters of the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma. The population was 18,589 in the 2020 census. Durant is the principal city of the Durant Micropolitan Statistical A ...

from April 1954 until January 1957. From 1957 to 1959 Hodges served as the Bryan County Attorney before he was elected District Judge in 1958 and re-elected in 1962. On April 19, 1965 Oklahoma Governor

appointed Hodges as a justice of the

. At the time of his appointment to the Court, Hodges was 34 years old, becoming the youngest Justice to serve on the Oklahoma Supreme Court since statehood.McNutt, Michael. "Former State Supreme Court Justice Ralph Dies." ''Press Reader''. January 19, 2013.
Accessed June 22, 2018, Hodges was retained (re-elected) to the Court in 1966, 1968, 1974, 1980, 1986, and 1992; serving two terms as chief justice from 1977–1978 and 1993–1994.

"English-only petition"

In 2002, Justice Hodges wrote the majority opinion for Initiative Petition No. 366, which would have required that all official state business be conducted only in English. If passed at a general election, it would have banned using "...state money from being spent on translations for public documents or providing services in a different language." The majority opinion rejected the petition as an unconstitutional limitation on freedom of speech as well as infringing the rights of non English speaking citizens to interact with their government. As stated in Hodges' written opinion, "Restricting all governmental communications to English prevents citizens who are of limited English proficiency from effectively communicating with their government.""Supreme Court rules initiative petition invalid." News on 6. April 1, 2002.
Accessed May 9, 2018. The proposed initiative could not be put on the general election ballot.

Awards and honors

* In 1977, Justice Hodges was named Outstanding State Appellate Jurist by The Association of Trial Lawyers of America; * Hodges served on the Board of Trustees for Oklahoma Baptist University from 1968 until 1971; * In 1982, he received the first Media and Society Award given by the H.H. Herbert School of Journalism and Mass Communications at the

. for his work to allow cameras and microphones in Oklahoma courtrooms.

Other activities

* As an active member of the First Baptist Church of Durant, Oklahoma, he was Chairman of the Board of Deacons in 1964-1965; * He was a 33rd Degree Scottish Rite Mason; * He was a former president of the Durant Kiwanis Club * He was a former president of the Durant Junior Chamber of Commerce; * He was a member of the Putnam City Baptist Church in Oklahoma City.

Death

Justice Hodges died on January 16, 2013 at Bellevue Nursing Center. Family members who preceded him in death were his parents, his wife Janelle and his son Randy. He was survived by his six children (a son and a daughter he had with Janell and Janelle's four daughters from a previous marriage) and twelve grandchildren. He was interred at Resurrection Memorial Cemetery in Oklahoma City.

Notes

References

The Supreme Court of the State of Oklahoma
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hodges, Ralph B. 1930 births 2013 deaths People from Durant, Oklahoma People from Anadarko, Oklahoma Politicians from Oklahoma City Oklahoma Baptist University alumni University of Oklahoma alumni Oklahoma lawyers Oklahoma state court judges Chief Justices of the Oklahoma Supreme Court Lawyers from Oklahoma City 20th-century American judges 20th-century American lawyers