Oklahoma
Put out of office by voters, Oklahoma Supreme Court Justice has no regrets • Oklahoma Voice
OKLAHOMA CITY – Yvonne Kauger’s interpretation of the law and the paths she’s blazed outside the courtroom have shaped the foundation of Oklahoma’s justice system for decades.
When the 87-year-old retires Dec. 1, she’ll collectively be the longest serving Oklahoma Supreme Court justice and staff attorney.
She’ll also be the first Oklahoma Supreme Court justice in state history to not be retained by voters following a dark money campaign that targeted her as a liberal judge and as being too old.
But being first isn’t new to Kauger.
She was the first female staff attorney at the Oklahoma Supreme Court.
Gov. George Nigh appointed her to the Oklahoma Supreme Court in 1984, two years after he appointed the first female justice, the late Alma Wilson.
Kauger has spent 52 years working for the state’s highest court as either a judge or staff attorney.
Cases before the court ranged from the constitutionality of laws, taxes, abortion access and tribal issues, to name a few.
The same year as her appointment to the bench, she was adopted by the Cheyenne Arapaho Tribes of Oklahoma on sacred tribal ground in Colony. Her family has deep ties to the tribe.
“It’s more of an honorary position, but I was the first person since statehood to be adopted by the Cheyenne Arapaho,” Kauger said.
Kauger has no Native American blood, but always wanted to be an Indian, she said.
In 1987, she co-founded Red Earth, which features Native American culture, art and dancers.
The following year, she founded the Sovereignty Symposium. The national legal conference held in Oklahoma City educates people about tribal sovereignty and government.
She is known for asking tough and direct questions from those who appeared before the court during oral arguments and not letting attorneys off easy when they can’t answer.
Former Oklahoma Chief Justice Steven Taylor introduced her when she was inducted into the Oklahoma Hall of Fame.
“No living Oklahoman has influenced the course of the law in our state more than Justice Yvonne Kauger,” Taylor said.
He said she guards the institutional foundation of the state’s highest court.
Chief Justice M. John Kane IV said he will be sad to lose her as a colleague.
“Her toughness, her kindness, her vision have been an institution in our court for my entire career,” said Kane, who was appointed by Gov. Kevin Stitt in 2019.
Kauger has vivid and mostly fond memories of her childhood in Colony and young adult years. She played basketball in high school. She still has the faded newspapers showing her modeling the latest fashions when she was younger. She lost her sister in a plane crash as a young adult.
Kauger put herself through the Oklahoma City University School of Law, graduating first in her class in 1969.
She was instrumental in creating the online case tracking system for the state’s courts and transforming the old Wiley Post building that then housed the Oklahoma Historical Society into the Judicial Center.
Not being retained has advantages for Kauger, who plans to write at least two books and start a docent program for the Judicial Center, where she was instrumental in picking out the artwork.
“This is the most wonderful building and has one of the best Indian art collections,” said Kauger, who can see the state’s court building from her nearby home across the street from the Capitol. “We’ve told the history of the state through the art.”
Her Taos Pueblo-style home, including the garage, is filled with art, whether it is paintings or sculptures. She is also an artist.
“I call it a new beginning,” Kauger said. “That iron curtain has dropped. I don’t bear a grudge. Sometimes I think it’s serendipitous because I probably would have never quit.”
Kauger has a tradition.
After every retention ballot, she purchases something for herself.
After one retention election, it was living room furniture. One year it was a car. This year, it was a zero-gravity heat massage chair.
Kauger said she has no regrets about anything she has done. She said the job of the court is to follow the law based on the facts, regardless of what some might believe.
“Do right. Fear not,” is a motto she lives by.
Despite racking up an impressive list of firsts, honors and awards, Kauger said that is not her legacy.
“My legacy is my family,” she said, referring to daughter Jonna Kirschner, two grandchildren and a great grandson.
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New Oklahoma laws on abortion, insulin access go into effect July 1
New Oklahoma laws on a permanent classroom phone ban, barring abortion referrals and boosting access to insulin go into effect on July 1.
An out-of-state anti-abortion group successfully lobbied to change Oklahoma law after it was rejected for public funding from a program that encourages women to keep their unplanned pregnancies.
Human Coalition is a Texas-based nonprofit that uses internet marketing to connect women with crisis pregnancy centers and social workers. The group has pushed for several states to expand anti-abortion programs. About two-thirds of the group’s revenue in the 2025 fiscal year — $20.7 million — came from government grants, according to tax records. The group spent about $7.5 million on advertising and $241,728 on lobbying nationwide.
Human Coalition applied for funding from Oklahoma’s Choosing Childbirth program in 2024. The State Department of Health rejected the group because it determined that its lack of a physical presence in Oklahoma didn’t comply with state law.
The Choosing Childbirth program has become a key part of Oklahoma’s strategy to support young children and pregnant women since the state enacted a near-total abortion ban in 2022. Oklahoma nonprofits can get taxpayer-funded grants through the program to provide things like employment assistance, parenting education and diapers.
Senate Bill 1503 removes the requirement for a nonprofit to have a location in the state. Sen. Julie Daniels, R-Bartlesville, and Rep. Mark Lepak, R-Claremore, sponsored the bill. A handful of groups headquartered out of state already receive Choosing Childbirth funding, but all awardees maintain a physical location in Oklahoma.
Daniels said the legislation was written with only Human Coalition in mind. She first came in contact with Human Coalition through her involvement in the conservative model legislation group American Legislative Exchange Council. She met with two lobbyists for Human Coalition at the council’s December policy summit and learned it had been unable to participate in the last round of Choosing Childbirth funding.
“I said, ‘Well, tell me more.’ And we realized it would be a very simple change in the law, and so that’s what we did,” Daniels said.
Daniels said she thinks Human Coalition’s online model can engage women who might not seek out services at crisis pregnancy centers on their own. She also said it’s “doubly sad” that Human Coalition didn’t receive funding because three crisis pregnancy centers in the state said they’d like to work with the group and wrote letters of support.
In Oklahoma, Human Coalition lobbied to boost funding for the state’s Choosing Childbirth program by about sixfold, from $3 million to $18 million in 2024, Lauren Enriquez, a spokesperson for the nonprofit, said in a statement.
“When Human Coalition advocates and provides care services, funding grows and families gain real, expanded choices,” Enriquez said in the statement. Human Coalition declined an interview after multiple requests from The Frontier and StateImpact.
Human Coalition has five active lobbyists in Oklahoma. Three work for Oklahoma consulting and lobbying firm CMA Strategies, and two work directly for the nonprofit.
Lobbyist Pat McFerron said in an email that the firm is proud to support Human Coalition’s efforts to expand access to “life-affirming care,” but he didn’t answer questions from The Frontier and StateImpact.
“We are pleased with the progress made to expand Oklahoma’s Choosing Childbirth program, including SB 1503, and look forward to building on that momentum,” McFerron said.
Programs in seven states
Human Coalition runs government telecare programs in seven states and has several pregnancy centers throughout the U.S., according to its most recent annual report.
Florida lawmakers awarded Human Coalition $500,000 this fiscal year to facilitate a statewide telecare network for “women who are challenged with unexpected pregnancies,” though the group asked the Florida House of Representatives and Senate for more money.
Human Coalition operates a statewide telecare network for the state of Louisiana, providing services for pregnant women and families. The organization is set to receive up to $3 million in state funding through the end of next year.
Whitney LaFrance, a spokesperson for the Louisiana Department of Children and Family Services, said in an email that the agency recently celebrated the first birthday of a child “saved through Human Coalition’s services,” and that the group has exceeded the state’s expectations.
Human Coalition first applied in 2020 to serve as Oklahoma’s Choosing Childbirth grant administrator, a role that would allow the group to distribute state funding to other service providers. But the State Department of Health contract was ultimately awarded to another nonprofit, Oklahoma Pregnancy Care Network. The agency determined Human Coalition would have used most of the state funding to support its telehealth program instead of direct services in the state, Erica Rankin-Riley, a spokesperson for the Health Department, said in an email.
Service providers and watchdog groups have raised concerns about Human Coalition’s work in some states.
The liberal watchdog group Campaign for Accountability sent a letter to North Carolina officials in 2019, alleging that Human Coalition had improperly used state funding for religious purposes. According to the letter, Human Coalition’s website at the time said mentoring was “a vital part” of its program “that helps connect our clients to the church.” The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services didn’t respond to a question about whether the complaint was resolved.
North Carolina lawmakers still expanded Human Coalition’s funding from $1.2 million a year between 2019 and 2021 to $3.2 million a year between 2021 and 2023. The nonprofit was allocated more than $3.2 million for the 2027 fiscal year.
Texas Pregnancy Care Network, a nonprofit that contracts with service providers as part of the state’s alternatives to abortion program, said in 2018 that it declined to contract with Human Coalition because the group used advertising that appeared to be from an abortion provider but instead connected women to a crisis pregnancy center.
“TPCN requires that any advertising or marketing of a provider accurately describe and depict the services that the organization offers,” the group wrote in an application for funding. “TPCN does not tolerate any degree of deception or trickery in provider advertising.”
Human Coalition is now a separate service provider through the alternatives to abortion program, and it’s continued to secure growing amounts of state funding. A 2023 fiscal year program report indicates that Human Coalition had received a Texas state contract for more than $10 million. According to a report from the 2025 fiscal year, Human Coalition was awarded another state contract of more than $18 million and said it had recently “expanded its grassroots efforts” into the Austin, Houston, San Antonio and El Paso areas.
Similar services are already offered in Oklahoma
Another provider is already offering services in Oklahoma that are similar to those of Human Coalition.
Her First Women’s Health — an anti-abortion telehealth brand created by Dallas-based nonprofit Heroic Media — also uses online ads that encourage women considering abortion to contact a call center where they’re routed to local resources. It’s been awarded nearly $900,000 in Choosing Childbirth funding since 2024 and has locations listed on its website in Guthrie and Oklahoma City.
Oklahoma’s 211 hotlines are also now required to prioritize referrals to crisis pregnancy centers, adoption agencies and “other life-affirming resources” to support expectant mothers.
The new law opening up Choosing Childbirth funding to groups without a physical presence in Oklahoma takes effect Nov. 1. Newly eligible nonprofits can start applying for grants next year. Human Coalition said it will evaluate any future funding opportunities as they arise.
The Frontier is a nonprofit newsroom that produces fearless journalism with impact in Oklahoma. Read more at www.readfrontier.org.
The landmark housing affordability bill known as the 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act became law July 11 at midnight after 10 days of inactivity from President Trump.
The bipartisan 21st ROAD to Housing Act was first created by the Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs in July 2025, advancing after a 24-0 vote on July 29. It was introduced as H.R. 6644 in the House of Representatives on Dec. 11, 2025 by French Hill (R-AR.)
Bipartisan bill in Congress aims to solve the nation’s housing affordability crisis
After six months of edits and exchanges of the legislation between the House and the Senate, the final Senate vote was June 22, passing 85-5. The House of Representatives voted 358-32 to pass the bill June 23.
Per congressional record of the votes, Oklahoma Representatives Bice, Cole, Hern and Lucas voted Yea, as well as Senators Armstrong and Lankford. Representative Josh Brecheen of Oklahoma’s 2nd District was one of 41 to not vote.
The 21st ROAD to Housing Act was sent to President Trump’s desk for action June 24. He canceled the signing via Truth Social post.
The president refused to sign the housing affordability bill despite previously supporting it due to his stronger support for the SAVE America Act. He referred to the SAVE America Act, which has still not been passed, as “a National Emergency.”
Trump cancels bipartisan housing bill signing, reiterates demand for SAVE America Act
Many Oklahoma lawmakers reacted to the passage of the 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act in June when it passed the House and Senate.
The dream of homeownership is slipping further out of reach for too many Oklahomans. Home prices are at an all-time high, and Washington’s red tape has made it worse by making it harder and more expensive to build. The 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act is a straightforward…
— Sen. James Lankford (@SenatorLankford) June 22, 2026
The United States faces a significant housing supply shortage, leading to rising home prices and rent costs. This is why the 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act is so important. This bipartisan legislation reduces unnecessary regulatory barriers, modernizes HUD programs, and works… pic.twitter.com/eU7MVq1X7U
— Rep. Stephanie Bice (@RepBice) June 23, 2026
This critical legislation will help millions of Americans nationwide achieve the goal of owning a home. Homes will now be more affordable for Oklahomans with the cutting of red tape and the increase in housing supply. I thank @RepFrenchHill and @USRepMikeFlood for over a year of… https://t.co/Ao9xUu3nPH
— Frank Lucas (@RepFrankLucas) June 24, 2026
Rep. Brecheen, who did not vote in the final house call for the housing affordability legislation, posted on X, formerly known as Twitter, in support of President Trump’s stance.
President Trump posted to Truth Social July 10 that he still would not sign the housing affordability act into law.
Per the United States Constitution, Article I, Section 7, Clause 2, the president must either veto or sign a bill within ten days (excluding Sundays) of it being sent to his desk. In the event that the president does not either return or sign the bill, it becomes law as if it were signed.
As of midnight July 11, 2026, the 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act became federal law. The law will combat a number of obstacles facing homeowners and those hoping to become homeowners.
A full list of what each section contains, published by the House Committee on Financial Services can be found here.
Oklahoma City Mayor David Holt posted Saturday morning about the housing affordability act becoming law.
NORMAN —When Oklahoma headed into the SEC two years ago, the Sooners’ softball team appeared to be in the best position to compete immediately in the conference.
Patty Gasso’s team has certainly acquitted themselves well during its first two seasons in the league — winning back-to-back regular-season championships.
But the Sooners came into the league having won four consecutive Women’s College World Series titles and Texas has now won back-to-back WCWS championships.
While softball won’t be the most affected by Oklahoma’s athletic department receiving a full SEC revenue distribution share in this fiscal year, there certainly will be an impact.
The department received just $12.5 million in conference payouts, while fully vested members in the conference received approximately $72.4 million each.
The $1.03 billion total conference distribution figures to grow in the coming years.
In the fifth in our series on how Sooners’ programs will be affected by the department receiving such a share, we take a look at the OU softball program:
NIL, Roster Building
Softball was one of six Sooners’ athletics programs to be included in the direct revenue-sharing payments made possible by the House vs. NCAA settlement.
While football takes up the great majority of that money, with the basketball programs using much of the remaining balance, softball players at OU do get direct revenue-sharing payments.
In an environment where not every softball program is part of that division of a set total, that gives the Sooners an advantage.
And while NIL money isn’t extremely plentiful — outside of Texas Tech — small changes can lead the big results.
But Gasso has been much more focused on high school recruiting than added big-time talent in the transfer portal in recent years.
Last season, the Sooners did add pitchers Sydney Berzon and Miali Guachino but the most impactful additions to the roster were a group of freshmen headlined by Kendall Wells and Kai Minor.
This offseason, it appears if Gasso is taking a similar approach.
Oklahoma added outfielders Macie Harter of Middle Tennessee State and Adi Hansen from Southern Idaho to compete for a spot — with incoming freshman Payton Westra — to play alongside Minor and Ella Parker.
With Isabela Emerling’s eligibility done with and Riley Zache transferring, the Sooners needed to add a backup catcher to play behind Wells.
Finding a serviceable backup who is willing to transfer without the guarantee of much playing time — especially with several other options at first base — proved to be difficult.
Oklahoma ultimately added Loyola Chicago catcher Abbie Gregus. Gregus hit just .195 last year as a redshirt junior.
The Sooners would’ve liked to have added an arm in the portal, but not only was there not a pitcher like NiJaree Canady available this time around, there wasn’t much in the way of options that would’ve been improvements over what Oklahoma already had on the roster.
Plus the Sooners signed pitchers Keegan Baker, Malaya Majam-Finch and EK Smith in the 2026 class.
The freeing up of additional money, though, figures to give the program a chance to compete for top-line talent when it is available, and will provide considerable help in retaining vital roster pieces.
Oklahoma has generally done well in keeping players who were expected to play significant roles moving forward, though Kasidi Pickering did transfer over this offseason — to Texas Tech.
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Facilities
With Love’s Field just wrapping up its third season, and maintaining its presence as the crown jewel of college softball, there aren’t much in the way of major upgrades to make.
But there can always be small tweaks to the facilities — especially when it comes to the team spaces. From updated technology to improved training and workout facilities, there are ways to keep the facility moving forward as other programs race to emulate OU.
Then there’s the area just south of the stadium, which has been filled with plenty of dirt and some grass, that could stand to be upgraded to give the walk up to that park a much grander feel.
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