Below is our brief guide to the Supreme Court Justices and Court Judges who will be on the 2024 Oklahoma General Election ballot. For a different perspective, check out Oklahoma Policy Institute’s Guide on Judges on the 2024 Oklahoma Ballot.
Oklahoma State Supreme Court
Oklahoma will vote on whether to retain the justices who sit on the state’s Supreme Court. The Supreme Court of Oklahoma is the court of appeal for non-criminal cases and is one of our state’s two highest judicial bodies. (The other, the Court of Criminal Appeals, decides criminal cases).
Its justices are nominated through the Judicial Nominating Commission[1] and are appointed by the governor. Their terms last six years.
The Supreme Court has jurisdiction over some of our state’s most important legal issues. It administers the entire judicial system, a crucial branch in our state’s tricameral political system. Justices are nonpartisan and prohibited from using their power for any private interest. Oklahoma also forbids them from campaigning for their reelection unless there is active opposition.
Noma D. Gurich – appointed in 2011 by Gov. Brad Henry (D)
Justice Noma Diane Gurich was appointed to the Oklahoma Supreme Court, District 3, on January 7, 2011. She is the third woman justice to serve on the Oklahoma Supreme Court since statehood. Justice Gurich served as Chief Justice from January 1, 2019, through December 31, 2020. Since beginning her service on the Supreme Court, Justice Gurich has been retained in office twice by voters state-wide. In addition to her many professional achievements, she is a member of St. Luke’s Methodist Church, where she volunteers and serves as a driver for Meals on Wheels.
Yvonne Kauger – appointed in 1984 by Gov. George Nigh (D)
Justice Yvonne Kauger was appointed to the Oklahoma Supreme Court on March 14, 1984. She is the second woman justice to serve on the Oklahoma Supreme Court. She served as Chief Justice from January 1997 to January 1999. At the direction of Chief Justice John Doolin, she began The Sovereignty Symposium in 1988. The symposium occurs annually and is dedicated to Native American sovereignty and associated legal issues. Justice Kauger is a member of the Episcopal Church, a quilter, sculptor, and arts advocate.
James E. Edmondson – Appointed in 2003 by Gov. Brad Henry (D)
Justice James E. Edmondson was appointed to the Oklahoma Supreme Court by Democratic governor Brad Henry in 2003. Justice Edmondson was retained in the court in 2006 and 2012. He served as Chief Justice in 2009 and 2010. Justice Edmondson was the only justice to dissent in part to the striking of the 2024 lawsuit brought by survivors of the Tulsa Race Massacre seeking reparations.[2]
Notable cases
- In 2024, the three justices listed above voted against giving public funds to a Catholic charter school in Oklahoma. Although the school is appealing the decision, the justices blocked it from receiving public tax dollars. Read more about the ongoing appeal.[3]
- In 2015, these justices were part of the majority that stopped constructing a Ten Commandments monument at the Capitol using state funds. The Court ruled that this violated the state’s Constitution, which prohibits public money from being used for religious purposes (Article 2, Section 5).
- These justices dissented in the 2024 case Hayes v. Penkoski, which strengthened protections for hate speech against religious organizations. The leader of the group Warriors for Christ (classified as a hate group by the Southern Poverty Law Center) targeted a church in Bartlesville for its ties to the LGBTQ+ community. He wrote several social media posts against the church, including wedding photos of church leaders with hostile comments. Church leaders sought a protective order.
- The Oklahoma Supreme Court majority avoided First Amendment issues by ruling that only individuals—not organizations—can bring a claim for stalking. The majority viewed threats to individuals within the organization as insufficient to be considered stalking and vacated the protective order.
- In her dissent, Justice Gurich argued that repeated hate speech targeting individuals in an organization could count as stalking. Read more about the case in an article from the Bartlesville Examiner-Enterprise.[4]
Court of Criminal Appeals District 1, 4, 5
In 2024, Oklahoma will vote on whether to retain judges on the Court of Criminal Appeals (COCA), the other of our state’s two highest judicial bodies. The role of the COCA is to handle criminal case appeals. These judges are put forward by the Judicial Nominating Commission and appointed by the Governor. They serve unlimited six-year terms. Since 1907, every judge who has sought reelection has won.
This is the first court to hear appeals involving the death sentence in Oklahoma.
- William J. Musseman, District 1 – appointed in 2022 by Gov. Mary Fallin (R)
- Scott Rowland, District 4 – appointed in 2017 by Gov. Mary Fallin (R)
- David B. Lewis, District 5 – appointed in 2005 by Gov. Brad Henry (D)
Court of Civil Appeals
The Court of Civil Appeals is an appellate court that sits between district-level state courts and the higher Oklahoma Supreme Court. It consists of 12 judges, divided into four panels of three. These judges are responsible for a majority of state appellate decisions. Like other judges, they are put forward by the Judicial Nominating Commission and then appointed by the Governor. They serve six-year terms.
- James R. Huber, District 2 Office 2
- Timothy J. Downing, District 4 Office 2’
- Robert Bobby Bell, District 5 Office 2
- Bay Mitchell III, District 6 office 1
- Brian Jack Goree, District 6 Office 2
For District maps, click here: https://ballotpedia.org/Oklahoma_District_Courts
[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oklahoma_Judicial_Nominating_Commission
[2] https://kfor.com/news/oklahoma-supreme-court-strikes-down-tulsa-massacre-lawsuit/
[3] “Oklahoma’s Catholic Charter School Asks U.S. Supreme Court for Review,” Linda Jacobson, October 8, 2024, MSN news
[4] “Oklahoma Supreme Court reverses decision protecting gay couple from street preacher,” Andy Dossett, June 12, 2024. Bartlesville Examiner-Enterprise