James E. Edmondson (born March 7, 1945) is a 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.

. He was appointed to the Court's District 7 seat by Governor

Brad Henry Charles Bradford Henry (born July 10, 1963) is an American lawyer and politician who was the 26th governor of Oklahoma from 2003 to 2011. A member of the Democratic Party, he was elected governor in 2002. Henry won re-election for a second term ...

in 2003.

Early life

Edmondson graduated from Central High School in

Muskogee, Oklahoma Muskogee () is the thirteenth-largest city in Oklahoma and the county seat of Muskogee County. Home to Bacone College, it lies approximately southeast of Tulsa. The population of the city was 36,878 as of the 2020 census, a 6.0 percent decrease ...

, before attending

Northeastern State University Northeastern State University (NSU) is a public university with its main campus in Tahlequah, Oklahoma. The university also has two other campuses in Muskogee and Broken Arrow as well as online. Northeastern is the oldest institution of high ...

. Following graduation from NSU in 1967, he served in the

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ...

for two years. He earned his J.D. degree from

Georgetown University Law Center The Georgetown University Law Center (Georgetown Law) is the law school of Georgetown University, a private research university in Washington, D.C. It was established in 1870 and is the largest law school in the United States by enrollment and ...

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

Muskogee County, Oklahoma Muskogee County is a county located in the U.S. state of Oklahoma. As of the 2010 census, the population was 70,990. The county seat is Muskogee. The county and city were named for the Muscogee (Creek) Nation.Muskogee, Oklahoma Muskogee () is the thirteenth-largest city in Oklahoma and the county seat of Muskogee County. Home to Bacone College, it lies approximately southeast of Tulsa. The population of the city was 36,878 as of the 2020 census, a 6.0 percent decrease ...

, as an

Assistant United States Attorney An assistant United States attorney (AUSA) is an official career civil service position in the U.S. Department of Justice composed of lawyers working under the U.S. Attorney of each U.S. federal judicial district. They represent the federal gove ...

, and later Acting

United States Attorney United States attorneys are officials of the U.S. Department of Justice who serve as the chief federal law enforcement officers in each of the 94 U.S. federal judicial districts. Each U.S. attorney serves as the United States' chief federal c ...

. From 1981 to 1983, he was a Partner in the Edmondson Law Firm along with his brother,

Drew Edmondson William Andrew Edmondson (born October 12, 1946), known as Drew Edmondson, is an American lawyer and politician from the state of Oklahoma. A member of the Democratic Party, Edmondson served as the 16th Attorney General of Oklahoma from 1995 t ...

Judge

In 1983, Edmondson was appointed as a Judge for the 15th state Judicial District, based in

Muskogee County, Oklahoma Muskogee County is a county located in the U.S. state of Oklahoma. As of the 2010 census, the population was 70,990. The county seat is Muskogee. The county and city were named for the Muscogee (Creek) Nation.Kansas City, Missouri Kansas City (abbreviated KC or KCMO) is the largest city in Missouri by population and area. As of the 2020 census, the city had a population of 508,090 in 2020, making it the 36th most-populous city in the United States. It is the central ...

, and is the son of Ed Edmondson, a former U.S. Congressman from Oklahoma, and June Edmondson, a nephew of former U.S. Senator and Oklahoma Governor

J. Howard Edmondson James Howard Edmondson (September 27, 1925November 17, 1971) was an American politician from the U.S. state of Oklahoma. He served as the 16th governor of Oklahoma from 1959 to 1963, and the appointed United States Senator from Oklahoma from 1963 ...

, and the brother of former Oklahoma Attorney General

. He is married to Suzanne Rumler Edmondson and has two children. His daughter Sarah Edmondson was given a 35-year prison sentence and served 12 years for her role in a crime spree, allegedly inspired by the movie

Natural Born Killers ''Natural Born Killers'' is a 1994 American crime film directed by Oliver Stone and starring Woody Harrelson, Juliette Lewis, Robert Downey Jr., Tommy Lee Jones, and Tom Sizemore. The film tells the story of two victims of traumatic childho ...

, with her boyfriend which included a murder and robbery in Mississippi, and a robbery and attempted murder in Louisiana. Sarah Edmondson was released on parole on May 20, 2010tulsaworld.com
/ref> and is serving her parole in Oklahoma which is set to end on June 1, 2025.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Edmondson, James E. 1945 births Living people Assistant United States Attorneys Edmondson family Georgetown University Law Center alumni Northeastern State University alumni Justices of the Oklahoma Supreme Court Politicians from Muskogee, Oklahoma Military personnel from Oklahoma Lawyers from Kansas City, Missouri Politicians from Kansas City, Missouri Military personnel from Kansas City, Missouri 20th-century American judges 21st-century American judges