THE OKLAHOMA BAR JOURNAL 40 | APRIL 2025 THE SELECTION OF QUALIFIED persons for appointment to the judiciary is of the utmost importance to the administration of justice in this state. Since the adoption of Article 7-B to the Oklahoma Constitution in 1967, there has been significant improvement in the quality of the appointments to the bench. Originally, the Judicial Nominating Commission was involved in the nomination of justices of the Supreme Court and judges of the Court of Criminal Appeals. Since the adoption of the amendment, the Legislature added the requirement that vacancies in all judgeships, appellate and trial, be filled by appointment of the governor from nominees submitted by the Judicial Nominating Commission. The commission is composed of 15 members. There are six nonlawyers appointed by the governor, six lawyers elected by members of the bar and three at-large members: one selected by the speaker of the House of Representatives, one selected by the president pro tempore of the Senate and one selected by not less than eight members of the commission. All serve six-year terms except the members at large, who serve two-year terms. Members may not succeed themselves on the commission. The lawyer members are elected from each of the six congressional districts as they existed in 1967. (Congressional districts were redrawn in 2011.) Elections are held each odd-numbered year for members from two districts. 2025 ELECTIONS This year, there will be elections for members in Districts 3 and 4, as those congressional districts existed in 1967. Please see the district map on page 42. District 3 is composed of 22 counties in the eastern and southeastern parts of the state; those counties are Atoka, Bryan, Carter, Choctaw, Coal, Cotton, Garvin, Haskell, Hughes, Jefferson, Johnston, Latimer, LeFlore, Love, Marshall, McCurtain, Murray, Pittsburg, Pontotoc, Pushmataha, Seminole and Stephens. District 4 is composed of 13 counties in the western and southwestern parts of the state, along with a portion of Oklahoma County; those counties are Caddo, Cleveland, Comanche, Grady, Greer, Harmon, Jackson, Kiowa, McClain, Oklahoma (part),* Pottawatomie, Tillman and Washita. Lawyers desiring to be candidates for the Judicial Nominating Commission positions have until Friday, May 16, 2025, at 5 p.m. to submit their nominating petitions. Members can download petition forms at www.okbar.org/jnc. When submitting a nominating petition, candidates should include a biography of 100 words or less and a photo (preferably both digital). For additional details and a sample bio format, email Mark Schneidewent at marks@okbar.org. Ballots will be mailed June 6, 2025, to active attorneys in good standing in Congressional Districts 3 and 4, as they existed in 1967. Ballots must be received at the Oklahoma Bar Center by 5 p.m. Friday, June 20, 2025. Ballots will be opened, tabulated and certified, and election results will be posted on June 23, 2025. In the event of a runoff, the ballots for the runoff election will be mailed June 27, 2025, and the deadline for their return is 5 p.m. July 18, 2025. Those ballots would be opened, tabulated and certified on July 21, 2025. It is important to the administration of justice that OBA members Bar News Judicial Nominating Commission Elections Nomination Period Opens for Elections in Districts 3 and 4; Nominating Petitions Due May 16 by 5 p.m. Petition Forms Available for Download at www.okbar.org/jnc.
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