TU College of Law alumnus Judge John Reif appointed to the state Supreme Court

Friday, October 19, 2007

Published on 10/19/07

Gov. Brad Henry today appointed University of Tulsa College of Law alumnus Judge John F. Reif, a member of the Oklahoma Court of Civil Appeals, to the state Supreme Court.

Reif, 56, received his law degree in 1978. The Tulsa native also earned an undergraduate degree in criminal justice from TU. He will replace fellow Tulsa Law alumni Justice Robert E. Lavender (J. D. ’53).

Reif joined the Oklahoma Court of Civil Appeals in May 1984 by the appointment of Gov. George Nigh. From 1973 to 1975, Reif served on the police force of the City of Owasso.

He was selected from a candidate pool of six Oklahoma judges from which three finalists advanced. The other finalists were also alumni of TU’s law school: Judge James D. Goodpaster (J. D. ’67) of the 12th Judicial District and Judge Jefferson D. Sellers (J. D. ’80) of the 14th Judicial District.

"It is a proud day for the College of Law to see one of our distinguished alumni appointed to the Supreme Court of Oklahoma, " said Janet Levit, interim dean of the TU College of Law.

"I think it reflects well on the quality of TU’s legal education that our alumni were so well represented during this selection process."