Judicial Reform

OCPA Announces Oklahoma Judicial Scorecard

April 22, 2024

Staff

Who are the nine justices on the Oklahoma Supreme Court?

How have their rulings impacted Oklahoma's ability to attract and keep jobs—and job creators—in our state?

Have the Court's rulings strengthened or undermined the rule of law and Oklahoma values?

These are some of the questions that will be covered by the Oklahoma Judicial Scorecard, a new project announced today by the Oklahoma Council of Public Affairs.

In what is often seen as the “reddest state in America,” with a Republican governor and supermajority across the legislature, people are often surprised to learn that Oklahoma’s Supreme Court is considered one of the most liberal in the country.

Each of the nine justices on the Oklahoma Supreme Court appears on the statewide ballot for a retention vote every six years. In 2024, three of the nine justices are up for retention.

Many Oklahomans are not aware that, through the years, the justices on the Oklahoma Supreme Court have: 

• Ruled consistently against attempts to reform Oklahoma’s tort laws, causing our state to be consistently labeled a “Judicial Hellhole”

• Repeatedly overturned laws duly passed by Oklahoma’s Legislature designed to protect unborn life

• Allowed schools to engage in forced-masking of Oklahoma schoolchildren, after Covid, overturning legislation to prevent it

• Undermined free-speech protections placed into law by the state Legislature

• Forced the removal of a Ten Commandments monument from Oklahoma’s State Capitol grounds, siding with the ACLU 

These are just a few of the issues that will be covered by the Oklahoma Judicial Scorecard. Please stay tuned to ocpathink.org for more details.