James E. Edmondson is currently the Chief Justice on the Oklahoma Supreme Court

Oklahoma Supreme Court

The Supreme Court of Oklahoma is one of the two highest judicial bodies in the U.S. state of Oklahoma and leads the Oklahoma Court System, the judicial branch of the government of Oklahoma....

. He was elected to this position by the other eight members of the Supreme Court in 2009 after he was appointed to the Court's District 7 seat by Governor Brad Henry

Brad Henry

Charles Bradford "Brad" Henry was the 26th Governor of the U.S. state of Oklahoma. A member of the Democratic Party, he was elected governor in 2002...

 in 2003.

James Edmondson was born in Kansas City, Missouri

Kansas City, Missouri

Kansas City, Missouri is the largest city in the U.S. state of Missouri and is the anchor city of the Kansas City Metropolitan Area, the second largest metropolitan area in Missouri. It encompasses in parts of Jackson, Clay, Cass, and Platte counties...

, and is the son of Ed Edmondson

Ed Edmondson (U.S. politician)

Edmond "Ed" Augustus Edmondson was a U.S. politician from Oklahoma.-Early life:He was born and raised in Muskogee, Oklahoma, where he attended public school before going on to attend Muskogee Junior College. Upon graduation from the University of Oklahoma in 1940, he joined the Federal Bureau of...

, a former U.S. Congressman, and June Edmondson, a nephew of former U.S. Senator and Oklahoma Governor J. Howard Edmondson

J. Howard Edmondson

James Howard Edmondson was the 16th Governor of Oklahoma from 1959 to 1963. Elected at the age of 33, Edmondson is the youngest governor in the history of the state.- Biography :...

, and the brother of former state Attorney General Drew Edmondson

Drew Edmondson

William Andrew "Drew" Edmondson , is an American lawyer and politician from Oklahoma. A member of the Democratic Party, Edmondson served as the 16th Attorney General of Oklahoma from 1995 to 2011...

.

Early life

He graduated from Central High School (eventually integrated into Muskogee High School

Muskogee High School

Muskogee High School is a four-year comprehensive public high school in Muskogee, Oklahoma. MHS has a steady enrollment of 1,700 students. It is accredited by the Oklahoma State Department of Education and the Oklahoma Secondary School Activities Association...

), before attending Northeastern State University

Northeastern State University

Northeastern State University is a public university with its main campus located in Tahlequah, Oklahoma, United States, at the foot of the Ozark Mountains. Northeastern's home, Tahlequah, is also the capital of the Cherokee nation of Oklahoma...

. Following graduation from NSU in 1967, he served in the United States Navy

United States Navy

The United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...

 for two years. He earned his law degree from Georgetown University

Georgetown University

Georgetown University is a private, Jesuit, research university whose main campus is in the Georgetown neighborhood of Washington, D.C. Founded in 1789, it is the oldest Catholic university in the United States...

 in 1973. From 1976 to 1978, he served as an Assistant District Attorney in Muskogee County, Oklahoma

Muskogee County, Oklahoma

Muskogee County is a county located in the U.S. state of Oklahoma. As of 2010, the population was 70,990. Its county seat is Muskogee.-Government:...

. From 1978 to 1981, he served in the U.S. Attorney's office in Muskogee, Oklahoma

Muskogee, Oklahoma

Muskogee is a city in Muskogee County, Oklahoma, United States. It is the county seat of Muskogee County, and home to Bacone College. The population was 38,310 at the 2000 census, making it the eleventh-largest city in Oklahoma....

, as Assistant U.S. Attorney, and later Acting U.S. Attorney. From 1981 to 1983, he was a Partner in the Edmondson Law Firm along with his brother.

Judge

In 1983, he was appointed as Judge for the 15th state Judicial District and served in that post until his appointment to the state supreme court.

Personal life

He is married to Suzanne Rumler Edmondson and has two children. His daughter Sarah Edmondson is currently serving a 35-year prison sentence for her role in an allegedly movie-inspired crime spree with her boyfriend which included a murder and robbery in Mississippi, and a robbery and attempted murder in Louisiana. Sarah Edmondson has been released on parole as of 20 May 2010 and will be serving her parole in Oklahoma. Her parole is to end June 1, 2025.