Under Oklahoma law, an unelected 15-member Judicial Nominating Commission (JNC) controls who gets nominated to serve on the Oklahoma Supreme Court.

The JNC announced on March 12 that the group has chosen three nominees from 14 applicants for the Oklahoma Supreme Court vacancy created when voters ousted longtime liberal incumbent Justice Yvonne Kauger last November.

The three finalists advanced by JNC members were District Court Judge Jon Keith Parsley, District Judge Donna Lynn Dirickson, and attorney Travis Jett.

The governor is required to select one of the three candidates put forward by the JNC and cannot consider any other qualified individuals. Gov. Kevin Stitt has 60 days to select one of the three individuals advanced by the JNC and appoint him or her to the Oklahoma Supreme Court. If Stitt does not do so, the chief justice of the Oklahoma Supreme Court is then required to appoint one of the three individuals.

Of the 15 members of the Oklahoma Judicial Nominating Commission, six are appointed by the Oklahoma Bar Association via internal membership elections. No other attorneys are allowed to serve.

Parsley’s nomination is notable because he is the past president of the Oklahoma Bar Association and also a former associate of one of the attorneys now serving on the JNC.

According to online biographies, Parsley spent several years in private practice with David K. Petty of Guymon. Petty is currently a member of the JNC.

Dirickson has served as a district judge for Beckham, Custer, Ellis, Roger Mills, and Washita counties for roughly one year. She previously served as the Custer County associate district judge from 2009 to 2024.

Jett is an attorney and graduate of the Georgetown University Law Center.

On his business website, Jett notes that he has argued cases before the Oklahoma Supreme Court, handled both civil and criminal cases in state and federal court, and represented clients before various state agencies including the Oklahoma Tax Commission, the Oklahoma Corporation Commission, the Oklahoma Department of Health, and the Oklahoma Ethics Commission.

Jett’s clients have included the members of the Oklahoma State Board of Education during the tenure of former State Superintendent Joy Hofmeister. Board members sought Jett’s counsel due to concerns about the reliability of information provided to board members by Hofmeister and her staff.

Jett was named a Future Star by Benchmark Litigation and was named a Rising Star in Business Litigation by Super Lawyers.