How Judges Are Chosen in the State of Oklahoma

Oklahoma employs a system of nonpartisan elections for appointing new judges, and merit-selection for retaining appellate judges (“Our Judges”). Two of the three categories of judges—district and associate—are selected by the governor from a list of nominees compiled by the Judicial Nominating Commission (“Our Judges”). The third category, special judges, are appointed based on need and selected by the district judges (“Our Judges”). All prospective candidates for any of the three categories must be: at least 30 years old; have an active law license; be a registered voter; and a resident of the county over which they intend to preside (“State of Oklahoma”; “Our Judges”) Should a prospective candidate fail to meet any or all of these criteria, they will be rendered ineligible.

There are pros and cons to the nonpartisan system. On one hand, it curtails the chance of selection based on one party’s supremacy over another, but on the other, it leaves room for candidates to win based on persuasive campaigns versus relevant experience (Hays 131). An improvement that could be made to eradicate the latter issue—an issue brought about by most political campaigns—may be to develop campaign regulations that require candidates to explicitly publicize their credentials, and prohibit the distribution of misleading information regarding themselves and their opponents.

The necessary level of education to apply for judgeship seems logical, and reasonable—candidates should have completed law school, passed the bar exam and, preferably, been a practicing attorney for some time before pursing said judgeship. Of course, experience is not necessarily the be-all and end-all of attributes that a judge or potential judge should possess. The qualities that make a good judge are the same basic qualities that make a good overall human being: honesty, empathy, tolerance, humility, accountability, and the ability to approach the courtroom through the objective process.

Works Cited

"Our Judges: Who are they and how did they get there?." Oklahoma Bar Association. N.p., n.d. Web. 5 Nov. 2013. <http://www.okbar.org/public/Courts/Judges.aspx

"State of Oklahoma." Judicial Selection in the States. N.p., n.d. Web. 5 Nov. 2013. <http://www.judicialselection.com/judicial_selection/index.cfm?state=OK

Hays, Jack N. "Selection of Judges in Oklahoma." Tulsa LJ, vol. 2, 1965, p. 127.