--- title: "Yvonne Kauger | KnowJudges" canonical: "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/yvonne-kauger-5451" page_type: "judge_profile" updated: "2026-08-22" --- # Yvonne Kauger Supreme Court of Oklahoma · Judge ## Profile - Court: Supreme Court of Oklahoma - State: Oklahoma - Role: Judge - Service status: former - Last verified: 2026-08-22 ## Summary Official statewide and applicable court procedural guidance applies to this judge. ## Biography ### Professional career - Judge, Supreme Court of Oklahoma, 1984-present - American attorney and judge who served on the Oklahoma Supreme Court from 1984 until her retirement on December 1, 2024, making her the longest‐serving justice and staff attorney in the court’s history - She held the role of Chief Justice from January 1997 to January 1999 and was the only woman to hold both chief and vice‐chief justice roles - Before joining the bench, Kauger was the first woman staff attorney for the Oklahoma Supreme Court, working under Justice Ralph B. Hodges from 1972. - Former Chief Justice Steven Taylor called her “the most influential Oklahoman in shaping the course of the law in our state” ### Education - B.A. in biology (with minors in chemistry and English) from Southwestern Oklahoma State University in 1958, then a J.D. from Oklahoma City University School of Law in 1969, graduating first in her class. ### Additional information - In November 2024, Kauger became the first Oklahoma judge to lose a retention election. - Appointed to the Oklahoma Supreme Court on March 14, 1984, by Governor George Nigh and adopted by the Cheyenne and Arapaho tribes of Oklahoma that same year. - Appointed by Governor George Nigh in 1984, Kauger became the second woman on the Oklahoma Supreme Court after Alma Wilson. - Kauger was adopted as an honorary member of the Cheyenne and Arapaho Tribes in 1984. - Practitioner, 1983-1983 - Born August 3, 1937. - Date of birth: 1937-08-03 - Over her career, she handled cases on constitutional issues, taxes, abortion access, and tribal sovereignty - She also held leadership roles in judicial and cultural initiatives, including founding the Gallery of the Plains Indian, co‐founding Red Earth, and coordinating the Sovereignty Symposium - Kauger’s 52 years of service combined judicial leadership with cultural advocacy. - She was active in arts and cultural preservation, receiving the Governor’s Arts Award twice, and was inducted into the Oklahoma Women’s Hall of Fame and Oklahoma Hall of Fame - Birth place: New Cordell ## Before you appear - Read the judge-specific standing order first when one is listed. - Check the docket and case orders for requirements that supersede broader guidance. - Confirm current remote-access and courtroom technology arrangements before the proceeding. ## Courtroom Rules ### remote proceedings Scope: statewide Oklahoma Rule 34 authorizes videoconferencing in District Courts, subject to the presiding judge's discretion and case-specific limitations. Evidence excerpt: The Supreme Court hereby authorizes and approves the use of videoconferencing in the District Courts of Oklahoma, as set forth in the following general provisions. [Rule 34. Videoconferencing in the District Courts](https://www.oscn.net/applications/oscn/DeliverDocument.asp?CiteID=483384) Source checked: 2026-07-26 ### remote exhibits Scope: statewide Oklahoma Rule 34 permits documents and exhibits used in videoconference proceedings to be transmitted electronically, with original exhibits transferred after the proceeding unless the judge orders otherwise. Evidence excerpt: Any pleading, other document, or exhibit used in a proceeding conducted by videoconferencing may be transmitted between the court's location and any remote site by electronic means, including, but not limited to, facsimile, scan, or email. [Rule 34. Videoconferencing in the District Courts](https://www.oscn.net/applications/oscn/DeliverDocument.asp?CiteID=483384) Source checked: 2026-07-26 ### remote witness notice Scope: statewide For Oklahoma district-court videoconference witness testimony, Rule 34 generally requires a notice of intent 30 days before the proceeding and allows objections within 10 days, subject to judicial discretion. Evidence excerpt: A proponent of a witness via videoconferencing technology at any hearing or trial shall file and serve on the opposing party a notice of intent to present testimony by videoconferencing technology at least thirty (30) days prior to the scheduled start of such proceeding. [Rule 34. Videoconferencing in the District Courts](https://www.oscn.net/applications/oscn/DeliverDocument.asp?CiteID=483384) Source checked: 2026-07-26 ### courtroom electronic devices Scope: statewide Oklahoma's uniform civil jury instruction directs jurors not to use electronic devices while court is in session and prohibits texting, posting, blogging, or broadcasting about the trial. Evidence excerpt: At this time, turn off all cell phones and other electronic devices. Do not use any electronic devices while court is in session in this case. [Oklahoma Uniform Jury Instruction 1.0: Use of Electronic Devices and Research Prohibited](https://www.oscn.net/applications/oscn/DeliverDocument.asp?CiteID=479101) Source checked: 2026-07-26 ## Sources - [Official profile](https://www.courtlistener.com/person/5451/yvonne-kauger/) - [Official roster](https://www.courtlistener.com/person/5451/yvonne-kauger/) - [Supreme Court of Oklahoma current judicial profile](https://www.courtlistener.com/person/5451/yvonne-kauger/) - [Rule 34. Videoconferencing in the District Courts](https://www.oscn.net/applications/oscn/DeliverDocument.asp?CiteID=483384) - [Oklahoma Uniform Jury Instruction 1.0: Use of Electronic Devices and Research Prohibited](https://www.oscn.net/applications/oscn/DeliverDocument.asp?CiteID=479101) - [CourtListener judicial biographical directory](https://www.courtlistener.com/person/5451/yvonne-kauger/) - [Yvonne Kauger - Ballotpedia](https://ballotpedia.org/Yvonne_Kauger#:~:text=9%20Footnotes-,Biography,Oklahoma%20Court%20of%20the%20Judiciary.) - [Justice Yvonne Kauger, Oklahoma Supreme Court, District 4](https://lwvtulsa.org/wp-content/uploads/Justice-Yvonne-Kauger-Supreme-Court-District-4-Judicial-Retention.pdf) - [Wikidata: Yvonne Kauger](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q8062468) ## JSON-LD ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "WebPage", "@id": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/yvonne-kauger-5451", "url": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/yvonne-kauger-5451", "name": "Yvonne Kauger | KnowJudges", "description": "Yvonne Kauger, Supreme Court of Oklahoma. 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