While conservative state policies on taxes and other issues have made Oklahoma one of the nation’s fastest-growing states in recent years, the state’s legal climate remains an impediment to economic growth and job creation, based on a report by business officials.

The 2024 Oklahoma Scorecard, released by the State Chamber Research Foundation, is an annual index that evaluates Oklahoma’s competitive position compared to other states across metrics that highly impact economic growth and prosperity.

The report’s section on the state’s legal climate ranked Oklahoma 34th out of 50 states, fifth out of seven regional states, and tenth out of 14 peer states (a group that includes Colorado, Utah, Iowa, Kansas, Wisconsin, Arkansas, Nevada, Tennessee, Indiana, Mississippi, Kentucky, Missouri, and Alabama).

“Oklahoma’s ranking is held back by its scores on the quality of its trial and appellate judges,” the report stated. “Oklahoma ranks 25th in Quality of Appellate Courts, 30th in Trial Judge Impartiality, and 31st in Trial Judge Competence.”

Neighboring Arkansas, which recently achieved a conservative majority on its state supreme court for the first time in memory, outranked Oklahoma by 14 spots in the State Chamber Research Foundation report, ranking 20th best nationally.

The State Chamber Research Foundation report noted questionable rulings by Oklahoma judges have harmed Oklahoma’s economic competitiveness.

“Oklahoma’s appellate courts have consistently struck down or undermined legislatively enacted tort reform, including a cap on noneconomic damages nearly a decade after it was enacted, which has fueled the state’s slide in national legal climate rankings,” the 2024 Oklahoma Scorecard stated.

Oklahoma voters can impact state courts through retention-ballot elections. Three members of the Oklahoma Supreme Court face retention-ballot elections in November: Justices Noma Gurich, Yvonne Kauger, and James Edmondson.

However, a lack of information has made those elections virtually meaningless for decades.

To remedy that problem, the Oklahoma Council of Public Affairs has created what may be the most comprehensive judicial review site in state history, providing information on members of the Oklahoma Supreme Court. The Oklahoma Judicial Scorecard can be viewed at https://ocpathink.org/judicial-scorecard.