Senate Democratic Leader Floyd criticizes move to politicize state’s judicial system

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Democratic Leader Kay Floyd
Capitol: (405) 521-5610
Kay.Floyd@oksenate.gov 

OKLAHOMA CITY – Senate Democratic Leader Kay Floyd, D-Oklahoma City, said a proposed amendment to Oklahoma’s Constitution would undo judicial reforms put into place some 50 years ago to restore and protect the integrity of the courts. Senate Joint Resolution 34, approved by the Senate Rules Committee Thursday, would allow the governor to choose appellate justices and judges, who would then be confirmed by the Senate, inserting partisan politics into the process for the first time since scandals rocked Oklahoma’s judiciary in the 1960s.

After those scandals came to light, reforms were enacted ending partisan elections of justices. Instead, the Judicial Nominating Commission (JNC) was created to vet applicants and make recommendations to the governor who made the final selection. The people were given the right to vote on whether to retain them every six years.

“Ending those partisan elections and creating the JNC ensured the independence of the courts, and removed the politics,” Floyd said. “We’ve not seen the terrible scandals that came to light in the 1960s since adopting these reforms – they’re working. This is clearly an attempt to gain control of our courts.”

Under the proposed state question, those justices would also be appointed for life, and it would remove the ability of citizens to vote on retention.

“The judiciary is a co-equal, independent branch of government. The reforms that have ensured the court’s independence and integrity in the last half century are at risk,” Floyd said. “This is a power grab that reinserts partisan politics into the judiciary and undermines the abilities of justices to make rulings based on the law. It is a dangerous proposition for the people of Oklahoma who are seeking real justice, independent of politics.”

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