In a five-minute announcement today that included no opportunity for questions from the press, Gov. Kevin Stitt announced the appointment of Panhandle native Travis Jett to the Oklahoma Supreme Court.
“I am deeply humbled to be in front of you today. Growing up on a ranch near Slapout in the Oklahoma Panhandle, I don’t think I would have believed that I would be honored with this high responsibility. But here’s what I do know. I know that the lessons I learned 190 miles northwest of here — things like honesty, integrity, humility, fairness — that’s what will guide my tenure on our state Supreme Court.”
A Georgetown law graduate, Jett has worked at some of the state’s most prominent law firms, including GableGotwals, Fellers Snider, Crowe & Dunlevy, and the Hodgden Law Firm. He was one of three candidates, alongside district court Judges Donna Dirickson and John Parsley, advanced from a field of 13 candidates by the Judicial Nominating Commission, a 15-member panel that vets applicants for judicial vacancies.
“I considered the nominees very carefully. My first priority is to appoint individuals who will stay true to the Oklahoma and the United States Constitution, and who will uphold the rule of law,” Stitt said. “He is a man of integrity, wisdom. He is well respected in the legal community and the agriculture community. He has spent his life and career serving Oklahoma through [Future Farmers of America] and his legal practice. And I’ve also learned, he is an absolute legend in the FFA community. He was not only the state president, but also the national president of the FFA.”
The fourth justice appointed by Stitt since 2019, Jett brings the number of Republican-appointed justices on the court to six, mirroring the U.S. Supreme Court’s current appointment divide.
“He’ll be applying the law as written, and he will be a good steward of this honor,” Stitt said.
Jett will become the state’s only current justice without prior judicial experience, and he is the first non-judge appointed to the Oklahoma Supreme Court since Patrick Wyrick in 2017. Coincidently, Jett’s predecessor, Yvonne Kauger, was also appointed without prior judicial service in 1984. Narrowly rejected for another six-year term by state voters in a November retention election, Kauger, 87, worked as a staff attorney for the Oklahoma Supreme Court before her appointment.
“It’s a responsibility that I don’t take lightly, and I’m committed to using all of my abilities to make sure the law is applied in a fair and just manner,” Jett said. “I’ll fulfill my duties with great humility, and I could not be prouder to accept appointment ot the Oklahoma Supreme Court.”
Hilbert: Travis Jett ‘an incredible pick’
Jett grew up ranching in “the greater Slapout area” and graduated from Laverne High School. He attended Oklahoma State University and served as both the state and national Future Farmers of America president before finishing his bachelor’s degree. He attended the Georgetown University Law Center, where he was the editor in chief of the Georgetown Journal of Law and Public Policy from 2010 to 2011.
Asked after Monday’s event to identify something he learned in law school that has stuck with him and will be helpful as a Supreme Court justice, Jett provided a statement through Stitt’s office.
“In law school, many professors talked about respecting the court when we started practice,” Jett said. “However, one of my professors, Lawrence Silberman, was a sitting judge. I remember him explaining that judges also must respect the parties. He would remind us that cases involved real parties with genuine disputes. Judge Silberman told us the best way a judge can respect the parties is to carefully consider all of their arguments and write a clear, understandable opinion that explains the court’s reasoning. The parties deserve that level of diligence from their judge. I will remember that lesson from Judge Silberman when I join the Oklahoma Supreme Court.”
After interning at Crowe & Dunlevy and graduating from law school, he returned to Oklahoma to start his career at Fellers Snider. In 2017, he left to become an associate and shareholder at GableGotwals. Three years later, he moved to the Hodgden Law Firm in Woodward.
While practicing, Jett represented several high profile clients across the state. Early in his career he defended former Democratic state Sen. Debbie Leftwich during her bribery trial and worked on Richard Glossip’s case for former Republican Gov. Mary Fallin. During his time in private practice, he was associated with the political action committees Build Oklahoma, Inc, Panhandle Political Action Committee and the Yes on 790 Association.
With his appointment to the court, Jett will be expected to leave behind the political sphere and don impartial robes. Without judicial experience, there is little writing on Jett’s personal legal opinions to indicate how his addition to the court might affect cases. While he’s expressed support for reinterpreting religious liberties and political action committees, he does not appear to have written much on issues of tribal sovereignty or civil jurisdiction.
Jett’s appointment received praise from retired Justice Steven Taylor.
Issues on deck
The appointed justice will likely weigh in on several major pending legal questions, including tax jurisdiction in Indian Country, the use of public funds for religious instruction and even jurisdiction for evictions.
“Travis Jett will be a great Justice. Oklahoma can comfortably place total confidence in him to be fair and impartial,” Taylor said in a press release distributed by Stitt’s office. “He is a leader, experienced and academically gifted. He now makes the life-changing transition from advocating for his clients to serving as a Justice; where he will faithfully uphold the rule of law and zealously protect the independence of the judiciary.”
House Speaker Kyle Hilbert (R-Bristow) and Senate President Pro Tempore Lonnie Paxton (R-Tuttle) also praised Jett.
“Travis Jett is an incredible pick for the Oklahoma Supreme Court and will serve our state well,” Hilbert said. “From his formative experience as state and national FFA president to his tenure as general counsel for the State Board of Education to his background in appellate and civil litigation, Travis brings a varied background with rural roots to the bench that complements the needs of our state today. He is a man of integrity, brings a unique perspective to the court and I look forward to working with him in his new capacity.”
Paxton said Jett’s appointment to the high court “reflects a strong commitment to judicial integrity.”
“He brings a wealth of legal experience and a deep understanding of both urban and rural issues,” Paxton said. “Jett’s broad legal expertise — from arguing before the Oklahoma Supreme Court to representing clients in matters ranging from oil and gas to regulatory compliance — makes him uniquely qualified for the state’s highest court. Jett’s legal acumen, public service and rural roots make him an exceptional addition to the Supreme Court. Gov. Stitt’s selection ensures that the Oklahoma judiciary continues to be shaped by leaders of character, intellect and commitment to the rule of law.”
(Correction: This article was updated at 8 a.m. Tuesday, April 15, to correct reference to a statement about prior judicial appointments and to include a quote from Jett in response to a question.)
