Oklahoma Supreme Court

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Oklahoma Supreme Court
200pxSSCBadgeforVNT.png
Court information
Justices:   9
Judicial selection
Method:   Comm. select., Gov. appt.
Term:   Initial term 1 year; if retained, 6 years
Active justices

James R. Winchester  •  James Edmondson  •  Yvonne Kauger  •  Joseph Watt  •  Tom Colbert  •  John Reif  •  Steven Taylor  •  Noma D. Gurich  •  Douglas L. Combs  •  

Former justices

The Oklahoma Supreme Court was founded in 1907, and is the highest court in the state for civil matters.[1]

Justices

The Oklahoma Supreme Court is a constitutional tribunal consisting of nine Justices. Each Justice is selected from one of nine judicial districts and sits for a six-year term.[2]

The initial term in office for Supreme Court, Court of Criminal Appeals and Court of Appeals judges lasts one year; judges are then put up for a general election, and if retained, they serve a six year term. District Court judges serve an initial term of four years--if re-elected, they serve additional terms.

The current justices of the court are:
JudgeTermAppointed byParty
Justice James R. Winchester2006-2016Frank Keating
Justice James Edmondson2003-2020Brad Henry
Justice Yvonne Kauger1984-2020George Nigh
Justice Joseph Watt1992-2014David Walters
Chief Justice Tom Colbert2004-2014Brad Henry
Justice John Reif2008-2014Brad Henry
Justice Steven Taylor2004-2016Brad Henry
Justice Noma D. Gurich2011-2020Brad Henry
Justice Douglas L. Combs2010-2020Brad Henry


Jurisdiction

Oklahoma Court System Organizational Chart

"The Supreme Court is part of a co-equal, bifurcated judicial system in Oklahoma, under which it handles all civil matters, and the Oklahoma Court of Criminal Appeals handles all criminal issues." The Supreme Court has the authority to "issue, hear and determine writs of habeas corpus, mandamus, quo warranto, certiorari, prohibition and such other remedial writs as may be provided by law and may exercise such other and further jurisdiction as may be conferred by statute."

Judicial selection

Article VII of the Oklahoma Constitution determines the selection process of the Oklahoma Supreme Court. The judge must submit their name to the Oklahoma Judicial Nominating Commission. In the event of a vacancy, the JNC submits three names to the Governor, who then appoints one to the court. The justice then serves until the next general election. If the Governor does not appoint a replacement within 60 days, the Chief Justice then takes the responsibility.[1]

In the appellate and district courts

Merit Selection through Nominating Commission Gubernatorial or Legislative Appointment without Nominating Commission Partisan Election Nonpartisan Election Combined Merit Selection and Other Methods
Oklahoma Supreme Court, Court of Criminal Appeals, Court of Appeals NA NA District Court NA

Qualifications

Each Justice, at the time of their election or appointment, must be at least thirty years old, must be a registered voter in the Supreme Court Judicial district they represent for at least one year before filing for the position, and must be a licensed practicing attorney or judge (or both) in Oklahoma for five years before their appointment. The potential Justice must maintain their certification as an attorney or judge during their tenure in office in order to main their position.

Caseloads

The Tulsa World looked at eight years of Oklahoma Supreme Court filings, opinions and settlement conferences, and between 1999 and 2006, the total number of cases handled by the Supreme Court decreased 28 percent from 1,874 cases to 1,354. During that same time, the number of opinions also dropped. In 2006, the court rendered 99 opinions. The court has rendered as many as 250 opinions in one year, which was 2000.[2]

Salaries

As of 2010, Associate Justices earn $137,655 annually, while the Chief Justice earns $147,000. [3]

Notable decisions

History of the court

The Oklahoma State Capitol in Oklahoma City, which houses the Oklahoma Supreme Court

The court originated with five justices, but in 1917, four additional justices were appointed to deal with the increasing caseload.[4]

Notable firsts

See also

External links

References

2012

To organize the columns, click on the arrows in the column heading.
CandidateIncumbencyPartyDivisionPrimary VoteElection Vote
CombDouglas L. Combs   ApprovedAYes   ApprovedA
EdmondsonJames Edmondson   ApprovedAYes   ApprovedA
GurichNoma D. Gurich   ApprovedAYes   ApprovedA
KaugerYvonne Kauger   ApprovedAYes   ApprovedA

2010

See also: 2010 State Supreme Court elections

Incumbent Steven Taylor faced retention and was retained.

Oklahoma Supreme Court
2010 General election results
Candidates Votes Percent
Steven Taylor BallotCheckMark.png n/a 64.88%

2008

See also: State Supreme Court elections, 2008

John F. Reif faced retention and was retained.

Oklahoma Supreme Court
2008 General election results
Candidates Votes Percent
John F. Reif BallotCheckMark.png n/a 63.2%

Tom Colbert faced retention and was retained.

Oklahoma Supreme Court
2008 General election results
Candidates Votes Percent
Tom Colbert BallotCheckMark.png n/a 66.1%

Joseph M. Watt faced retention and was retained.

Oklahoma Supreme Court
2008 General election results
Candidates Votes Percent
Joseph M. Watt BallotCheckMark.png n/a 63.7%

OklahomaOklahoma Supreme CourtOklahoma Court of Criminal AppealsOklahoma Court of Civil AppealsOklahoma District CourtsOklahoma Workers' Compensation CourtUnited States District Court for the Eastern District of OklahomaUnited States District Court for the Northern District of OklahomaUnited States District Court for the Western District of OklahomaUnited States bankruptcy court, Eastern District of OklahomaUnited States bankruptcy court, Northern District of OklahomaUnited States bankruptcy court, Western District of OklahomaUnited States Court of Appeals for the Tenth CircuitOklahoma countiesOklahoma judicial newsOklahoma judicial electionsJudicial selection in OklahomaOklahomaTemplate.jpg


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