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Gov. Fallin Picks Patrick Wyrick For State Supreme Court

Patrick Wyrick, state solicitor general, gestures as he speaks during an Oklahoma Supreme Court hearing in Oklahoma City, Tuesday, June 21, 2011.
Sue Ogrocki
/
AP
Patrick Wyrick, state solicitor general, gestures as he speaks during an Oklahoma Supreme Court hearing in Oklahoma City, Tuesday, June 21, 2011.

Oklahoma Gov. Mary Fallin has picked her state’s solicitor general to serve as the newest member of the Oklahoma Supreme Court.

Patrick Wyrick, 35, has been the solicitor general in the state attorney general’s office since 2011. He will succeed Steven Taylor, who is retiring.

Wyrick will serve as a justice from Oklahoma’s 2nd Judicial District, which encompasses much of southeastern Oklahoma.

Wyrick was one of three finalists for the job. The other finalists were Bryan County District Judge Mark Campbell and LeFlore County District Judge Jonathan Sullivan.

In a written statement from the governor’s office, Wyrick, a native of Atoka, said it’s an honor to represent his hometown district on the court.

“I will continue to work hard and do my best to serve the people of this great state. I have committed myself to public service, and my years as Oklahoma solicitor general have offered me the opportunity to routinely litigate cases before the Supreme Court. I am uniquely familiar with the high court’s jurisprudence,” Wyrick said.

Prior to joining the state Attorney General’s office, Wyrick  worked as an attorney in the law firm GableGotwals and clerked for Judge James Payne in U.S. District Court of Eastern Oklahoma.

Wyrick appeared in front of the U.S. Supreme Court to argue in favor of Oklahoma’s use of the drug midazolam in executions. The high court sided with Oklahoma in a 5-4 decision.

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Jacob McCleland spent nine years as a reporter and host at public radio station KRCU in Cape Girardeau, Mo. His stories have appeared on NPR’s Morning Edition and All Things Considered, Here & Now, Harvest Public Media and PRI’s The World. Jacob has reported on floods, disappearing languages, crop duster pilots, anvil shooters, Manuel Noriega, mule jumps and more.
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