Oklahoma Supreme Court Justice Noma Gurich to speak Feb. 5 at OSU Puterbaugh Ethics Lecture

Tuesday, January 20, 2026

Media Contact: Stephen Howard | Director of Marketing & Communications | 405-744-4363 | stephen.howard@okstate.edu

Oklahoma Supreme Court Justice Noma Gurich will be the featured speaker for the annual Puterbaugh Ethics Lecture at 1:30 p.m., Feb. 5, in the Student Union Theater on Oklahoma State University's Stillwater campus. The presentation is free and open to the public.

Sponsored by the Center for Legal Studies and Business Ethics (CLSBE) in the Spears School of Business, this year's lecture will address "Emerging Ethical Frontiers," exploring complex modern issues such as the legal ethics of medical marijuana, the use of generative AI in the legal profession and judicial conduct regarding citizen protests.

"The OSU academic community will have the opportunity to hear from a person whose experience has helped to shape Oklahoma," said Griffin Pivateau, CLSBE director and the Puterbaugh Professor of Legal Studies. "A core mission of the center is to provide our students the chance to meet with leaders in Oklahoma who will share their stories about the ethical challenges they face, in their work and in society."

Gurich brings a historic perspective to these challenges. A member of the Oklahoma judicial branch for 38 years, she holds the unique distinction of having been appointed by four different governors — two Republicans and two Democrats. She joined the Supreme Court of Oklahoma on Feb. 15, 2011, becoming only the third woman since statehood to serve as a justice.

She served as chief justice of the Oklahoma Supreme Court from Jan. 1, 2019, through Dec. 31, 2020. Prior to that term, she served as vice chief justice from December 2016 until Dec. 31, 2018.

Gurich graduated from Indiana State University in 1975 with a bachelor’s degree in political science and a minor in history. In 1978, she received her law degree from the University of Oklahoma.

For more information on the event, please contact the Center for Legal Studies and Business Ethics.