New Home for OK Supreme Court

OKLAHOMA CITY — If it’s hanging on the walls in the Wiley Post Building on the grounds of the state capitol, then State Supreme Court Justice Yvonne Kauger probably had something to do with putting in there.

Hallways, offices, even little used alcoves contain new artwor or old on loan from the state historical archives.”We call ourselves History Center South as far as the exhibit is concerned,” jokes Kauger.

For nearly all of her career on the court Yvonne fought for and imagined a new state judicial center. She and her 8 fellow justices will hold administrative offices in a new courtroom. Their cases will be decided in a rarely seen inner conference room. She shows it off on a personal tour, “This is probably the most sacrosanct room in the state because no one comes in here but the 9 of us.”

The state Court of Criminal Appeals is here too. But Kauger is particularly proud of the decorations in the new building. Some murals from 1934 on the 3rd floor provided a theme to start. “They set a tone for the whole building,” she says, “And then finding pieces in the basement of the History Center certainly enhanced that.”

The original Supreme Court hearing room at the Capitol remains, but the old, cramped offices are gone. Their replacement is a new building that a lot of people don’t think about when they visit the capitol. As chief decorator Kauger says this public building is worth a stop too.

The original Supreme Court hearing room at the capitol building remains in use. But the old, cramped offices are gone. As chief decorator, Kauger says this new public building is worth a visit. “I want everyone to come see it because it’s the peoples’ building,” she says. “I like to build things and this has been really fun.”