Oklahoma judicial elections, 2012

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Judicial Elections
Judicial elections, 2012
Judicial election dates

The Oklahoma judicial elections consisted of a primary election in July and the general election on November 6, 2012.

Oklahoma judicial elections summary, 2012

Supreme Appellate Trial Total candidates 5 5   Unopposed candidates 0 0 Judges facing retention 5 5 Judges retained 5 5 Judges re-elected Judges not re-elected New judges elected Partisan or Nonpartisan   Retention

Seats up for election

The judges in the tables below faced retention in 2012 and were unopposed.

Supreme Court

Judge	Incumbency	Retention vote	Retention Vote %
CombDouglas L. Combs   A	Yes	783,955	66.4%A
EdmondsonJames Edmondson   A	Yes	792,216	66.9%A
GurichNoma D. Gurich   A	Yes	789,777	66.5%A
KaugerYvonne Kauger   A	Yes	775,016	65.7%A

Court of Criminal Appeals

Judge	Incumbency	Retention vote	Retention Vote %
Clancy SmithCarlene Clancy Smith   A	Yes	772,328	65.8%A

Court of Civil Appeals

Judge	Incumbency	Retention vote	Retention Vote %
MitchellBay Mitchell   A	Yes	777,599	66.9%A
BuettnerKenneth Buettner   A	Yes	781,528	67.3%A
ThornbrughP. Thomas Thornbrugh   A	Yes	786,547	67.3%A
BellRobert D. Bell   A	Yes	766,014	65.9%A
HetheringtonWilliam Hetherington   A	Yes	763,293	65.6%A

In the news

Oklahoma Bar Association launches CourtFacts.org

As featured in JP Election Brief: Campaign ads and voter education on October 25, 2012.

The Oklahoma Bar Association has announced the creation of CourtFacts.org, a website intended to provide voters with information about the judges who are up for retention on the November 6 ballot.

CourtFacts.org explains the way appellate justices and judges are selected in Oklahoma, and includes biographies and pictures of all the judges who will appear on the retention ballot. Links to court cases and opinions written by the judges and justices are also provided.

The bar association's site is not the only tool designed to educate Oklahoma voters about retention elections. In June, the creation of the Oklahoma Civil Justice Council was announced. Backed by the State Chamber, the Council introduced a system that rates appellate judges based on how friendly they are to business interests.

Cathy Christensen, president of the Oklahoma Bar Association, has stated that the bar association's "intent in creating Court Facts is to provide voters accurate, nonbiased information - just the facts." She believes that the website offers an "opportunity to educate voters that fair and impartial judges are critical to the success of a strong legal system." Christensen expressed concern that some interest groups might use retention elections to promote their own agendas, and hopes CourtFacts.org will make clear to Oklahoma voters the importance of an independent and nonpartisan judiciary.

You can find the website here: CourtFacts.org.

Oklahoma 2012 retention elections

As featured in JP Election Brief: 2012 Retention Elections on July 5, 2012.

In Oklahoma, the merit selection system of judicial selection was adopted in 1967 for judges on the Supreme Court and the Court of Criminal Appeals. Judges on the Court of Civil Appeals have been chosen using merit selection since 1987. Oklahoma does not have a system to evaluate the performance of judges who are up for retention election.

This year, Justices Douglas L. Combs, Noma D. Gurich, Yvonne Kauger, and James E. Edmondson are up for retention to the Oklahoma Supreme Court. Judges Arlene Johnson, David B. Lewis, and Carlene Clancy Smith are up for retention to the Oklahoma Court of Criminal Appeals.

See also

• Oklahoma judicial elections

External links

• Oklahoma Board of Elections, Offices to be filled