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Oklahoma Supreme Court elections
There are two high courts in Oklahoma. For election results for the court of criminal appeals, see: Oklahoma Court of Criminal Appeals elections.
There are nine justices on the Oklahoma Supreme Court. For more information about these elections, visit the Oklahoma judicial elections page.
Judicial selection
- See also: Judicial selection in Oklahoma
The nine justices of the Oklahoma Supreme Court are selected through the assisted appointment method. Each justice is appointed by the governor from a list of three names compiled by the Oklahoma Judicial Nominating Commission.[1][2]
The appointed justice serves an initial term of at least one year, after which they must stand for retention during the next general election. Subsequent terms last six years.[1][3]
Qualifications
To serve on this court, a justice must be:
- at least 30 years old;
- a qualified voter in his or her respective district for at least one year; and
- licensed to practice for at least five years in the state (or have five years of service as a judge of a court of record).[1]
Chief justice
The chief justice of the court is selected by peer vote, serving in that capacity for two years.[1]
Vacancies
If a justice retires before the end of his or her term, the vacancy is filled just as it normally would be, with the governor appointing a successor from a list of names provided by the nominating commission. If the appointment is not made within 60 days of the vacancy, the chief justice is responsible for selecting a replacement.[4] The appointed justice then must stand for retention in the next general election after he or she has served one year on the bench to serve out the remainder of his or her predecessor's term.[1][3]
The map below highlights how vacancies are filled in state supreme courts across the country.
Elections
2024
- See also: Oklahoma Supreme Court elections, 2024
James Edmondson's seat
Oklahoma Supreme Court District 7
James Edmondson was retained to District 7 of the Oklahoma Supreme Court on November 5, 2024 with 51.0% of the vote.
Retention Vote |
% |
Votes |
|||
| ✔ | Yes |
51.0
|
737,462 | ||
No |
49.0
|
708,039 | |||
Total Votes |
1,445,501 | ||||
|
|
Noma D. Gurich's seat
Oklahoma Supreme Court District 3
Noma D. Gurich was retained to District 3 of the Oklahoma Supreme Court on November 5, 2024 with 50.3% of the vote.
Retention Vote |
% |
Votes |
|||
| ✔ | Yes |
50.3
|
725,064 | ||
No |
49.7
|
717,360 | |||
Total Votes |
1,442,424 | ||||
|
|
Yvonne Kauger's seat
Oklahoma Supreme Court District 4
Yvonne Kauger was not retained to District 4 of the Oklahoma Supreme Court on November 5, 2024 with 49.8% of the vote.
Retention Vote |
% |
Votes |
|||
Yes |
49.8
|
717,063 | |||
| ✖ | No |
50.2
|
723,931 | ||
Total Votes |
1,440,994 | ||||
|
|
2022
- See also: Oklahoma Supreme Court elections, 2022
Rowe's seat
Oklahoma Supreme Court District 2, Dustin P. Rowe's seat
Dustin P. Rowe was retained to District 2 of the Oklahoma Supreme Court on November 8, 2022 with 64.9% of the vote.
Retention Vote |
% |
Votes |
|||
| ✔ | Yes |
64.9
|
668,080 | ||
No |
35.1
|
361,278 | |||
Total Votes |
1,029,358 | ||||
|
|
Kuehn's seat (four-year term)
Oklahoma Supreme Court District 6, Kuehn's seat
Dana Kuehn was retained to District 6 of the Oklahoma Supreme Court on November 8, 2022 with 66.2% of the vote.
Retention Vote |
% |
Votes |
|||
| ✔ | Yes |
66.2
|
680,378 | ||
No |
33.8
|
347,435 | |||
Total Votes |
1,027,813 | ||||
|
|
Combs' seat
Oklahoma Supreme Court District 8, Douglas L. Combs' seat
Douglas L. Combs was retained to District 8 of the Oklahoma Supreme Court on November 8, 2022 with 61.3% of the vote.
Retention Vote |
% |
Votes |
|||
| ✔ | Yes |
61.3
|
628,893 | ||
No |
38.7
|
397,842 | |||
Total Votes |
1,026,735 | ||||
|
|
Winchester's seat
Oklahoma Supreme Court District 5, James R. Winchester's seat
James R. Winchester was retained to District 5 of the Oklahoma Supreme Court on November 8, 2022 with 63.5% of the vote.
Retention Vote |
% |
Votes |
|||
| ✔ | Yes |
63.5
|
653,330 | ||
No |
36.5
|
375,076 | |||
Total Votes |
1,028,406 | ||||
|
|
2020
- See also: Oklahoma Supreme Court elections, 2020
Kane's seat
General election candidates
- M. John Kane IV (Incumbent) (Nonpartisan) ✔
Colbert's seat
General election candidates
- Tom Colbert (Incumbent) (Nonpartisan) ✔
Darby's seat
General election candidates
- Richard Darby (Incumbent) (Nonpartisan) ✔
2018
- See also: Oklahoma Supreme Court elections, 2018
Oklahoma Supreme Court 2018 Retention election | |
|
|
| Office | Candidates |
| District 2 |
 Patrick Wyrick (i) |
| District 3 |
Noma D. Gurich (i) |
| District 4 |
Yvonne Kauger (i) |
| District 7 |
James Edmondson (i) |
2016
Justices who faced retention
■ James R. Winchester
■ Douglas L. Combs
Election results
November 8 general election
James R. Winchester was retained in the Oklahoma Supreme Court District 5 election with 61.33% of the vote.
| Oklahoma Supreme Court District 5, 2016 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Name | Yes votes | |
| James R. Winchester | 61.33% | |
| Source: Oklahoma State Election Board Official Results | ||
Douglas L. Combs was retained in the Oklahoma Supreme Court District 8 election with 58.72% of the vote.
| Oklahoma Supreme Court District 8, 2016 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Name | Yes votes | |
| Douglas L. Combs | 58.72% | |
| Source: Oklahoma State Election Board Official Results | ||
2014
Retention
| Judge | Election Vote |
|---|---|
| John Reif | 59.0%  |
| Tom Colbert | 62.6% |
| Joseph Watt | 59.9% |
2012
| Candidate | Incumbency | Party | Division | Primary Vote | Election Vote |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Douglas L. Combs | Yes | | |||
| James Edmondson | Yes | | |||
| Noma D. Gurich | Yes | | |||
| Yvonne Kauger | Yes | |
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
|
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
|
n/a | 63.2% | ||
Tom Colbert faced retention and was retained.
| Oklahoma Supreme Court 2008 General election results | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Candidates | Votes | Percent | ||
| Tom Colbert
|
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
|
n/a | 63.7% | ||
See also
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 National Center for State Courts, "Methods of Judicial Selection: Oklahoma," accessed September 22, 2021
- ↑ Oklahoma State Courts Network, "Oklahoma Judicial Nominating Commission," accessed September 22, 2021
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Justia, "Section VII-B-5," accessed September 22, 2021
- ↑ Oklahoma Public Research System, "Section VII-B-4: Vacancy in Judicial Office - Filling," accessed September 22, 2021
Federal courts:
Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals • U.S. District Court: Eastern District of Oklahoma, Northern District of Oklahoma, Western District of Oklahoma • U.S. Bankruptcy Court: Eastern District of Oklahoma, Northern District of Oklahoma, Western District of Oklahoma
State courts:
Oklahoma Supreme Court • Oklahoma Court of Criminal Appeals • Oklahoma Court of Civil Appeals • Oklahoma District Courts • Oklahoma Workers' Compensation Court of Existing Claims
State resources:
Courts in Oklahoma • Oklahoma judicial elections • Judicial selection in Oklahoma
