Shown verbatim: the complete text as captured from the official PDF posted by the Oklahoma Legislature, fetched 2026-07-23. Page and line markers are part of the official record; nothing is edited or removed. The official bill page.
1 STATE OF OKLAHOMA
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2 1st Session of the 60th Legislature (2025)
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3 SENATE BILL 118 By: Howard
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7 AS INTRODUCED
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8 An Act relating to judicial officers; requiring
8 Supreme Court to establish the Judicial Performance
9 Evaluation Council; requiring the Supreme Court to
9 establish the Office of Judicial Performance
10 Evaluation within the Administrative Office of the
10 Courts; stating purposes of judicial evaluation
11 process; establishing duties of Judicial Performance
11 Evaluation Council; requiring certain examination by
12 Supreme Court upon receipt of certain report;
12 requiring appointment of director of Office of
13 Judicial Performance Evaluation by Supreme Court;
13 requiring hiring of employees for certain purpose;
14 requiring certain operational support; authorizing
14 hiring of outside vendor for certain purposes;
15 requiring adoption and administration of certain
15 process by Supreme Court; requiring establishment of
16 court rules for certain purposes; requiring
16 distribution of rules to certain officials; providing
17 for confidentiality of certain information; providing
17 exception; providing for waiver of right to
18 confidentiality under certain circumstances;
18 requiring certain information to be publicly
19 available; authorizing certain referrals to Council
19 on Judicial Complaints; requiring annual report of
20 judicial performance evaluation program; specifying
20 information for inclusion in certain report;
21 requiring distribution of report to certain
21 officials; requiring posting of report on certain
22 website; providing for codification; and providing an
22 effective date.
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Req. No. 729 Page 1
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2 BE IT ENACTED BY THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF OKLAHOMA:
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3 SECTION 1. NEW LAW A new section of law to be codified
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4 in the Oklahoma Statutes as Section 1671 of Title 20, unless there
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5 is created a duplication in numbering, reads as follows:
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6 A. Under the general administrative authority over all courts
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7 in this state granted pursuant to Section 6 of Article VII of the
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8 Oklahoma Constitution, the Supreme Court shall establish:
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9 1. The Judicial Performance Evaluation Council (JPEC) to
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10 administer the process for reviewing the performance of judicial
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11 officers; and
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12 2. The Office of Judicial Performance Evaluation within the
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13 Administrative Office of the Courts to assist JPEC in administration
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14 of the judicial performance evaluation process.
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15 B. The purposes of the judicial evaluation process are to:
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16 1. Provide information on judicial performance to the people of
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17 this state and judges in the courts of this state;
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18 2. Assist judges with opportunities for improving judicial
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19 performance;
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20 3. Identify necessary judicial education programs; and
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21 4. Promote goals of protecting judicial independence while
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22 fostering public accountability of the judiciary.
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Req. No. 729 Page 2
1 SECTION 2. NEW LAW A new section of law to be codified
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2 in the Oklahoma Statutes as Section 1672 of Title 20, unless there
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3 is created a duplication in numbering, reads as follows:
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4 The Supreme Court shall establish a Judicial Performance
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5 Evaluation Council (JPEC) which shall administer the process for
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6 reviewing the performance of judicial officers. JPEC shall review
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7 survey results according to the judicial performance standards
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8 established by Supreme Court Rules and compile a report. Such
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9 report shall be provided to the Chief Justice for distribution to
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10 the Supreme Court. Upon receipt of the JPEC report, the Supreme
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11 Court shall conduct a comprehensive, de novo examination to
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12 determine whether each individual judge has sufficiently met or has
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13 failed to sufficiently meet judicial performance standards.
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14 SECTION 3. NEW LAW A new section of law to be codified
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15 in the Oklahoma Statutes as Section 1673 of Title 20, unless there
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16 is created a duplication in numbering, reads as follows:
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17 A. The Supreme Court shall appoint a director of the Office of
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18 Judicial Performance Evaluation (OJPE) within the Administrative
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19 Office of the Courts. The director shall hire one or more employees
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20 to assist the Judicial Performance Evaluation Council in
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21 administration of the judicial performance evaluation process as
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22 defined by Supreme Court Rules. The Administrative Office of the
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23 Courts shall provide operational support to the OJPE employees.
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Req. No. 729 Page 3
1 B. The OJPE Director may hire an outside vendor to assist in
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2 the administration and management of the surveys established for
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3 evaluation of judicial performance.
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4 SECTION 4. NEW LAW A new section of law to be codified
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5 in the Oklahoma Statutes as Section 1674 of Title 20, unless there
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6 is created a duplication in numbering, reads as follows:
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7 A. The Supreme Court shall adopt and administer a process
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8 established by Supreme Court Rules for evaluation of judicial
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9 performance for all intermediate appellate judges and district court
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10 judges. Such rules shall include written performance standards and
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11 performance reviews which survey opinions of persons who have
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12 knowledge of the performance of the judge and shall include self-
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13 evaluation by the judge. A copy of the rules required by this
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14 subsection shall be made available to the Governor, the President
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15 Pro Tempore of the Senate, and the Speaker of the House of
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16 Representatives.
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17 B. The Supreme Court shall establish rules for improving
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18 judicial performance and may include programs determined to be
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19 appropriate for judges who need improvement in meeting judicial
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20 evaluation standards. A copy of the rules required by this
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21 subsection shall be made available to the Governor, the President
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22 Pro Tempore of the Senate, and the Speaker of the House of
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23 Representatives.
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Req. No. 729 Page 4
1 C. Information received from the evaluation surveys shall
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2 remain confidential except as provided in this section. If a
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3 judicial officer fails to achieve an overall satisfactory judicial
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4 evaluation by the Supreme Court in the second of two consecutive
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5 evaluations or purposely fails to complete assigned programs or the
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6 self-evaluation, the right to confidentiality of such judicial
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7 officer shall be waived and the failure of such judicial officer to
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8 meet the standards set forth in Supreme Court Rules shall be made
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9 publicly available on the Supreme Court website.
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10 D. At any time, the Supreme Court may refer an evaluation
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11 report to the Council on Judicial Complaints.
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12 SECTION 5. NEW LAW A new section of law to be codified
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13 in the Oklahoma Statutes as Section 1675 of Title 20, unless there
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14 is created a duplication in numbering, reads as follows:
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15 Beginning December 31 of the year following the effective date
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16 of this act, the Supreme Court shall prepare an annual report on the
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17 implementation of the judicial performance evaluation program. The
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18 annual report shall include, but not be limited to, the number of
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19 evaluations performed for each level of judicial officers, the
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20 percentage of responses received, and a summary of the overall
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21 evaluation results and of all actions taken to address inadequacies
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22 and deficiencies. The Supreme Court shall distribute the report
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23 electronically to the Governor, the President Pro Tempore of the
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24 Senate, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, and the
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Req. No. 729 Page 5
1 chairpersons of the Senate and House committees with jurisdiction
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2 over matters related to the Supreme Court. The annual report on
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3 judicial performance evaluation shall be posted on the Supreme Court
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4 website.
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5 SECTION 6. This act shall become effective November 1, 2025.
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7 60-1-729 TEK 12/26/2024 4:59:02 PM
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Req. No. 729 Page 6Every fact on this page links to its source, starting with the official bill record.