With the November elections just weeks away, Oklahoma voters will soon be asked to make choices about several of the state’s appellate-level judges and justices. Candidates for judicial retention – the “yes” or “no” selections Oklahoma voters make every two years about high-level state judiciary – will be on the ballot this election year. Voters may visit www.courtfacts.org to learn more about the 12 appellate judges and justices appearing on the ballot.      

Under Oklahoma’s method of judicial selection, appellate and Supreme Court nominees are first appointed by the governor from a list of three names of qualified individuals prepared by the state’s Judicial Nominating Commission. Those appointees wishing to remain in office at the end of their terms must declare their candidacy for retention. The judge’s name is placed on the ballot at the next general election, and Oklahoma voters can select “yes” to vote to retain that judge or “no” to vote to not retain that judge for the next six years.

“This system ensures the people have a voice – and further assures that those who enter Oklahoma’s appellate courtrooms can expect fairness and impartiality free from bias, prejudice or political influence,” said Oklahoma Bar Association President Miles Pringle. “Voters in our state chose this method of judicial selection in 1967 after a massive bribery scandal that made national headlines.”

Pringle also said, “The OBA created the CourtFacts website in 2014 to provide a public education resource on this topic. For 10 years, Oklahoma voters have been invited to visit www.courtfacts.org to get facts about the third branch of government as well as accurate, nonpartisan information about the candidates for judicial retention in election years such as this one.”

In addition to information about the 2024 Judicial Retention Ballot, voters can visit CourtFacts as a resource to better understand the Judicial Nominating Commission, which consists of 15 unpaid volunteer members – six of whom are lawyers. Lawyer commissioners are elected to serve six-year terms by their fellow OBA members, each representing one of six congressional districts across the state (as they were composed in 1967 when the commission was established).

“Advancing the administration of justice through education is a key component of the OBA’s mission,” Pringle said. “Hosting the CourtFacts website is one way we as lawyers can help foster trust in our legal system by explaining why nonpartisan judicial selection matters and helping all Oklahomans understand why our state’s method is a highly effective model.”

The 18,000-member Oklahoma Bar Association, headquartered in Oklahoma City, was created by the Oklahoma Supreme Court to advance the administration of justice and to foster and maintain learning, integrity, competence, public service and high standards of conduct among Oklahoma’s legal community.