IS JUDICIAL INDEPENDENCE IN OKLAHOMA AT RISK?
As in every state that holds judicial elections, the judicial independence of Oklahoma’s judges is at stake. This is especially true of Oklahoma’s District Court judges. Oklahoma’s 73 District Court judges face non-partisan elections every four years. The combination of relatively short terms along with the non-partisan elections makes our district court judges particularly susceptible to attacks on their judicial independence. One specific group that is based in Oklahoma and is actively advocating for pro-business state judges is The Oklahoma Project. The Oklahoma Project has pushed forward several initiatives including “Citizens for Judicial Review” and the “Economic Judicial Report.” Both initiatives were designed to advocate for judges the group has identified as pro-business. One of the projects set in motion by The Oklahoma Project was a plan to evaluate each state’s judges voting records in an effort to identify and provide support for pro-business judges. The stated goals of th
