He was appointed by Governor Brad Henry to the Oklahoma Supreme Court, effective January 1, 2011, filling a vacancy created by the retirement of Justice Rudolph Hargrave.
He earned his Juris Doctor from the Oklahoma City University School of Law in 1976 and was admitted to the bar the same year.
Prior to taking the bench, Combs was in private practice, an assistant state attorney general and as a deputy clerk for the Oklahoma Supreme Court.
Combs was appointed by Governor Brad Henry as Justice to the Supreme Court of Oklahoma on January 1, 2011.
Normally, his term would have begun on January 1, but Combs agreed to start on December 1, 2016, due to the early retirement of Chief Justice John Reif for health issues.