American judge (born 1937)
Yvonne Kauger
(born August 3, 1937) is an associate justice of the
Oklahoma Supreme Court
, and was appointed to the Court's District 4 seat by Governor
George Nigh
in 1984, and served as chief justice from 1997 to 1998. She was born in
New Cordell, Oklahoma
, and grew up in
Colony, Oklahoma
, and is an honorary member of the
Cheyenne and Arapaho Tribes
of
Oklahoma
.
[1]
Kauger founded the Gallery of the Plains Indian in Colony, Oklahoma and is also the co-founder of the Red Earth organization.
[2]
Kauger also serves as Symposium Coordinator of the Sovereignty Symposium. Kauger was inducted into the
Oklahoma Women's Hall of Fame
in 2001.
[3]
Early life
[
edit
]
Kauger was born in
New Cordell, Oklahoma
, and grew up in
Colony, Oklahoma
, where she helped her parents John and Alice Kauger with various chores on the family farm including picking cotton. Upon getting her driver's license, Kauger accepted a summer job at a small law firm. She was the valedictorian of her graduating class at Colony High School in 1955. Her time with the small law firm inspired her to pursue her law degree.
[4]
Education
[
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]
Kauger attended
Southwestern Oklahoma State University
where she majored in biology and minored in both chemistry and English. She graduated in three years and worked as a medical technician at a medical arts lab for five years after graduating from an internship program at Saint Anthony Hospital. Kauger used this profession to fund her dream of becoming a lawyer. Kauger received her law degree at
Oklahoma City University School of Law
in 1969, where she graduated first in her law school class.
[5]
Upon graduation from law school, Kauger had received many job offers and worked in a private practice for Senator Cleeta John Rogers for two and a half years. After this, Kauger worked for Justice
Ralph B. Hodges
as a clerk for eleven and a half years before she was appointed to succeed Justice Hodges on the Oklahoma Supreme Court.
Oklahoma Supreme Court
[
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]
Kauger was appointed to the Court by Governor
George Nigh
in 1984, and was one of the first two women appointed to the Court along with
Alma Wilson
. She served as chief justice from January 2007 to December 2008.
In 1986, Chief Justice
John B. Doolin
appointed Justice Kauger to establish and coordinate the Sovereignty Symposium, which has become an annual two-day event sponsored by the Oklahoma Supreme Court.
[a]
The Symposium is held in the renovated
Judicial Center building
[b]
in Oklahoma City. The symposium attracts national and international experts and tribal leaders to discuss topics connected to art, law and history. Such issues can be exchanged in a scholarly, non-adversarial environment.
[6]
After the Judicial Center renovation was complete, Kauger decorated the building with 70 pieces of Native American art works that she found in the Oklahoma History Center archives. She then collaborated with writer Gayleen Rabakukk and photographer Neil Chapman, while she served as editor herself.
[6]
Notable cases
[
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]
On March 21, 2023, Kauger was in a 5-4 majority to declare the constitutional right to abortion in the state of Oklahoma. Kauger wrote a concurrence, discussing how women had the right to abortion even when they lacked many other rights such as the right to vote. Kauger wrote that because of doctors' reluctance to perform even emergency abortions, "the draconian law which allows no exception, in the absence of a medical emergency to preserve the life of the mother, may be a death sentence".
[7]
On May 31, 2023, Kauger was in a 6-3 majority striking down 2 Oklahoma abortion laws, one banning abortion after a fetal heartbeat without exceptions and the other being a total ban with some exceptions.
[8]
[9]
On November 14, 2023, by the original 5-4 vote, the Oklahoma Supreme Court maintained the "life of mother" exception for the abortion ban. Kauger wrote a 1 sentence concurrence:
"One of the dissents states:"Any analysis of an abortion statute that proceeds under the proposition that the life of the unborn is unworthy of consideration is defective."
Any analysis of an abortion statute that proceeds under the proposition that the life of the mother is unworthy of consideration is defective."
[10]
[11]
Achievements
[
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]
- Governor's Arts Awards
- Woman of the Year by the Oklahoma City Chapter of Business and Professional Women's Club (1984)
- Adopted by the Cheyenne-Arapaho tribes (1984)
- Selected by High Noon as Woman of the Year (1985)
- Honorary doctorate from
Oklahoma City University
(1991)
- Herbert Harley Award by the American Judicature Society (1999)
- Inducted into the
Oklahoma Women's Hall of Fame
(2001)
- District State-Federal Judicial Council Hall of Fame
- Co-founded annual Red Earth Festival.
[12]
- Washita County Hall of Fame
- First Coordinator of the Sovereignty Symposium (2016)
See also
[
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]
Notes
[
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]
- ^
Doolan was well aware that Kauger had long been a student of Native American art and culture, though she had no Native American ancestry herself.
[6]
- ^
formerly known as the Historical Center building
References
[
edit
]
- ^
"Justice Yvonne Kauger"
. The Supreme Court of the State of Oklahoma. Archived from
the original
on 2013-02-22.
- ^
"Red Earth"
.
redearth.org
. Red Earth Museum
. Retrieved
26 March
2015
.
- ^
"Yvonne Kauger"
.
okciviljustice.com
. Oklahoma Civil Justice Council
. Retrieved
26 March
2015
.
[
dead link
]
- ^
Nykolaiszyn, Juliana (May 12, 2009).
"Oral history interview with Yvonne Kauger"
.
Inductees of the Oklahoma Women's Hall of Fame Oral History Project
. Retrieved
1 August
2022
.
- ^
"Oklahoma Supreme Court Justice Yvonne Kauger - 1986"
. SWOSU Alumni Association. 1986. Archived from
the original
on 2 April 2015
. Retrieved
26 March
2015
.
- ^
a
b
c
Allen, Cindy. "Justice Yvonne Kauger doing her part to preserve, honor Native American culture."
okc Friday
. Undated.
Accessed May 20, 2019.
- ^
"OKLAHOMA CALL FOR REPRODUCTIVE JUSTICE v. DRUMMOND"
.
oscn.net
. March 21, 2023
. Retrieved
May 31,
2023
.
- ^
"OKLAHOMA SUPREME COURT RULES ABORTION LAWS UNCONSTITUTIONAL"
.
News 9
. May 31, 2023
. Retrieved
May 31,
2023
.
- ^
"OKLAHOMA CALL FOR REPRODUCTIVE JUSTICE v. STATE OF OKLAHOMA"
.
oscn.net
. May 31, 2023
. Retrieved
May 31,
2023
.
- ^
"OKLAHOMA CALL FOR REPRODUCTIVE JUSTICE v. DRUMMOND"
.
oscn.net
. November 14, 2023
. Retrieved
January 3,
2024
.
- ^
"Oklahoma Supreme Court keeps anti-abortion laws on hold while challenge is pending"
.
AP News
. November 14, 2023
. Retrieved
January 3,
2024
.
- ^
Francis-Smith, Janice. "Yvonne Kauger Has Built a Hefty Resume in Her Role as the OK Supreme Court's Only Female Justice."
The Journal-Record
. August 3, 2006.
Accessed May 23, 2019.
External links
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