APRIL 2026 | 11 THE OKLAHOMA BAR JOURNAL Statements or opinions expressed in the Oklahoma Bar Journal are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect those of the Oklahoma Bar Association, its officers, Board of Governors, Board of Editors or staff. were voted out of the chamber of origin and the opposing chamber, where they were assigned to a conference committee to reconcile the differences. SB 632 was passed out of the conference committee, passed by the Senate and the House and signed by Gov. Kevin Stitt. But for the Oklahoma Supreme Court’s temporary stay and subsequent ruling finding SB 632 unconstitutional,27 SB 632 would have taken effect Sept. 1, 2025.28 DISCUSSION OF SB 63229 Creation and Location of Business Court Divisions SB 632 creates business court divisions within the district courts of any judicial district containing a county with a population greater than 500,000.30 Business Court Division I is to be located in Oklahoma County and headquartered in Oklahoma City, and Business Court Division II is to be located in Tulsa County and headquartered in Tulsa.31 SB 632 excludes business courts from the requirement that district courts be housed in the county seat of every county in the district, in any city where a superior court held sessions and at such other places within the district as the district and associate district judges shall prescribe.32 Business Court Judges SB 632 provides for the appointment, selection and qualifications of judges of the business courts.33 The bill also addresses business court judge compensation and provides for staffing.34 Appointment.35 Each business court will have one business court judge appointed by the governor with the advice and consent of the Senate.36 The governor is to make the appointment from three candidates provided by the speaker of the House.37 If the governor rejects the list provided by the speaker, the speaker will provide a second list; however, if such a list is not provided within 40 days, the governor may appoint any person who meets the qualifications required of a business court judge.38 Qualifications. To meet the qualifications of a business court judge, candidates must be: 1) at least 35 years of age, 2) a United States citizen and 3) a licensed attorney in good standing in this state with 10 or more years of experience: a) practicing complex civil business litigation, b) practicing business transaction law, c) serving as a judge or clerk of a court with civil jurisdiction or d) any combination of experience described in provisos a) through c), totaling 10 years.39 Terms, vacancies and temporary judgeships.40 Business court judges will serve for eight-year terms, and any vacancies will be filled in the same manner of appointment as set forth in Section 5.A.1.41 To aid business court judges in caseload management, the chief justice of the Oklahoma Supreme Court may, upon the request of a business court judge currently serving, appoint district court judges to temporarily act as business court judges.42 Salaries, compensation and staff.43 SB 632 adds business court judges and their salaries to the statutory list of salaries for district court judges, associate district court judges and special judges. Business court judges are compensated at the level of associate justices of the Oklahoma Supreme Court, which was $173,469 annually as of 2025.44 The bill authorizes a secretary-bailiff for each business court judge and gives business court judges the authority to appoint a law clerk.45 Jurisdiction SB 632 fixes the jurisdictional parameters of Oklahoma business courts.46 Business courts may hear actions arising under or relating to: The Uniform Arbitration Act, Section 1851 et seq. of Title 12 of the Oklahoma Statutes; The Uniform Commercial Code, Section 1-101 et seq. of Title 12A of the Oklahoma Statutes; The Oklahoma General Corporation Act, Section 1001 et seq. of Title 18 of the Oklahoma Statutes; Currently, over half of the states have implemented some sort of business court or specialized docket focused on complex commercial matters.
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy OTk3MQ==