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William J. Musseman
2022 - Present
2029
3
William J. Musseman is a judge for District 1 of the Oklahoma Court of Criminal Appeals. He assumed office on March 18, 2022. His current term ends on January 7, 2029.
Musseman ran for re-election for the District 1 judge of the Oklahoma Court of Criminal Appeals. He won in the retention election on November 5, 2024.
On March 4, 2022, Gov. Kevin Stitt (R) appointed Musseman to the Oklahoma Court of Criminal Appeals from a list of three names compiled by the Oklahoma Judicial Nominating Commission.[1]
To read more about judicial selection in Oklahoma, click here.
Elections
2024
See also: Oklahoma Supreme Court elections, 2024
Oklahoma Court of Criminal Appeals District 1
William J. Musseman was retained to District 1 of the Oklahoma Court of Criminal Appeals on November 5, 2024 with 64.3% of the vote.
Retention Vote |
% |
Votes |
|||
| ✔ | Yes |
64.3
|
901,331 | ||
No |
35.7
|
500,528 | |||
Total Votes |
1,401,859 | ||||
|
|
Endorsements
Ballotpedia did not identify endorsements for Musseman in this election.
2018
See also: Municipal elections in Tulsa County, Oklahoma (2018)
General election
The general election was canceled. William J. Musseman (Nonpartisan) won without appearing on the ballot.
2014
See also: Oklahoma judicial elections, 2014
Musseman ran for re-election to the 14th District Court.
As an unopposed candidate, he was automatically re-elected without appearing on the ballot.
[2]
2010
Musseman ran for a seat on the District 14 Court. He won 31.37% of the vote in the primary and defeated Carl Funderburk in the general election.[3][4]
- Main article: Oklahoma judicial elections, 2010
Campaign themes
2024
Ballotpedia survey responses
See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection
William J. Musseman did not complete Ballotpedia's 2024 Candidate Connection survey.
2018
Ballotpedia survey responses
See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection
William J. Musseman did not complete Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey.
Campaign finance summary
Ballotpedia currently provides campaign finance data for all federal- and state-level candidates from 2020 and later. We are continuously working to expand our data to include prior elections. That information will be published here as we acquire it. If you would like to help us provide this data, please consider donating to Ballotpedia.
Education
Musseman received his undergraduate degree from Northeastern State University in 1995 and his J.D. from the University of Oklahoma in 1997.[5]
Career
Prior to joining the district court as a special judge, Musseman was an assistant district attorney.[5]
Court of Criminal Appeals judicial selection in Oklahoma
- See also: Judicial selection in Oklahoma
The five judges of the Oklahoma Court of Criminal Appeals are selected through the assisted appointment method. Each judge is appointed by the governor from a list of three names compiled by the Oklahoma Judicial Nominating Commission.[6][7]
The appointed judge 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.[6][8]
Qualifications
To serve on the court, a judge 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 (or have five years of service as a judge of a court of record).[6]
Presiding judge
The presiding judge of the court is selected by peer vote, serving in that capacity for two years.[6]
Vacancies
If a judge 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.[9] The appointed judge 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.[6][8]
State supreme court judicial selection in Oklahoma
- 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.[6][7]
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.[6][8]
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).[6]
Chief justice
The chief justice of the court is selected by peer vote, serving in that capacity for two years.[6]
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.[9] 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.[6][8]
The map below highlights how vacancies are filled in state supreme courts across the country.
See also
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ Office of Governor Kevin Stitt, "Governor Stitt Appoints Judge William J. Musseman, Jr to the Court of Criminal Appeals," March 4, 2022
- ↑ Oklahoma State Election Board, "Candidates for State Elective Office 2014"
- ↑ Oklahoma Board of Elections, "Unofficial General Election Results"
- ↑ Oklahoma Secretary of State, "Unofficial 2010 Primary Election Results"
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Musseman District Judge, "About"
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 6.4 6.5 6.6 6.7 6.8 6.9 National Center for State Courts, "Methods of Judicial Selection: Oklahoma," accessed September 22, 2021
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 Oklahoma State Courts Network, "Oklahoma Judicial Nominating Commission," accessed September 22, 2021
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 8.3 Justia, "Section VII-B-5," accessed September 22, 2021
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 Oklahoma Public Research System, "Section VII-B-4: Vacancy in Judicial Office - Filling," accessed September 22, 2021
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by - |
Oklahoma Court of Criminal Appeals District 1 2022-Present |
Succeeded by - |
| Preceded by - |
Oklahoma Judicial District 14 -2022 |
Succeeded by - |
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
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