Hon. Richard B. Darby is the Chief Justice of the Oklahoma Supreme Court. He was appointed to the seat by former Governor Mary Fallin in April 2018.
During his tenure on the state’s Supreme Court, Darby represents District Nine which includes Harmon, Greer, Jackson, Kiowa, Tillman, Cotton, Comanche, Caddo, and Canadian Counties. He is also a member of the Appellate Division of the Oklahoma Court. In January 2021, he was elected to a two-year term as Chief Justice of the court by his peers and was the court’s Vice-Chief Justice before that.
At the time of his appointment, Darby was a district judge for the Third Judicial District, which includes Greer, Harmon, Jackson, Kiowa, and Tillman Counties. He had held the position since 1994. Darby began his judicial career with the Jackson County District Court, having presided for four years as both a special judge and an associate district judge.
Prior to joining the bench, he practiced law in Altus, Oklahoma.
After attending Western Oklahoma State College, Darby received a B.A. in political science from Southwestern Oklahoma State University. He went on to complete a J.D. at the University of Oklahoma College of Law in 1984.
His civic involvement included the Altus Rotary (past president), having been named the Rotarian of the Year. Darby was also named Judge of the Year by the Oklahoma Court Reporters and was inducted into the Western Oklahoma State College Hall of Fame in 2020.
He is married to Dr. Dana Darby, Ph.D., who has served as Head of School for Altus Christian Academy. The couple has two grown sons. Darby is an active member of the First Baptist Church of Altus, having taught Sunday school there for over twenty years.
He was born and raised in Duke, Oklahoma. Growing up, he worked at his family’s furniture store, which was started by his grandfather in 1906. Darby later attended Duke High School.