State Question 845Rules for the panel that picks judge finalists
Read the full text of the measure: Secretary of State file, pages 1 to 9 (PDF)
In plain words
The Judicial Nominating Commission is a 15-person group. When a seat opens on one of Oklahoma's top courts, it reviews who applied and sends the governor a short list to pick from. SQ 845 would let the 6 members the governor chooses, and the 3 members the commission chooses itself, all be from the same political party and all be lawyers. (ballot title )
Before and after
| Question | Today | If SQ 845 passes |
|---|---|---|
| How many of the governor's 6 members can be from one party? | 3 at most | No limit |
| How many of the 3 members the commission picks itself can be from one party? | 2 at most | No limit |
| Can the governor's members and the commission's own picks be lawyers? | No | Yes |
| Which map decides what area each member comes from? | The congressional districts drawn in 1967 | Today's congressional districts |
| Can a member serve two terms in a row? | No | Yes |
| Who chooses the members? | The governor 6, the state lawyers' group (Oklahoma Bar Association) 6, the commission itself 3 | No change |
Numbers from the official ballot title (ballot title ); also see (news9.com )
Biggest change
- Today the governor's 6 members can include at most 3 from one political party, and the 3 members the commission picks itself can include at most 2. SQ 845 ends those limits, so all 9 could be from the same party. source: news9.com
- In the official ballot title's words, it "removes restrictions on political party membership for members appointed by the Governor and at-large members." (At-large members are the 3 the commission picks itself.) source: sos.ok.gov
Who it affects most: People who want to be judges on Oklahoma's top courts, and anyone whose case is appealed to those courts.
Cost to the state: None. The official ballot title says it has no effect on the state budget.
Our plain-words summary. Every line points to its source.
What your vote means
The governor's 6 members and the commission's own 3 picks could all be from one party, and could be lawyers.
The governor's 6 members can include at most 3 from one party, the commission's own 3 picks at most 2, and none of them can be lawyers.
Our one-line summary. Oklahoma does not publish an official "what your vote means" statement; the ballot title above is the official description.
Why people want it, and why others object
Why this is on the ballot
The Legislature put this on the ballot. It changes the state constitution, so only another statewide vote can change it back. It passes with a simple majority of the votes cast on it.
- The commission was set up in the 1960s, after Oklahoma Supreme Court justices were caught taking bribes. It was meant to keep the picking of judges apart from party fights and campaign money. source: kosu.org
- Republican leaders have pushed to change how top judges are picked for about nine years. They say lawmakers have too little say, the commission's interviews and votes aren't open enough, and its members lean toward one party. source: kosu.org
Why supporters want it
- Sen. Todd Gollihare (R-Kellyville), the measure's Senate author, said the commission usually has about five Republicans and 10 Democrats, and that "it's not really equitable for the majority party to only have five commissioners where the minority has 10." source: oklahomavoice.com
- Supporters in the Legislature say removing the caps lets the people who make appointments choose whom they want regardless of party. source: news9.com
- Gov. Kevin Stitt wants governors to have more say, more like the federal system, where the president picks judges and the Senate confirms them: "would I rather have the governor just choose? Yes." source: kosu.org
Why opponents object
- Sen. Carri Hicks (D-Oklahoma City): "The Commission is meant to be a check on politics in judicial appointments, yet this makes it easier for a small group aligned by party or profession to control who is nominated to the bench." source: oklahomavoice.com
- News 9 lists more partisanship on the commission as a possible result if it passes. source: news9.com
- Senate Democratic Leader Julia Kirt: "What's clearest to me is that we need an independent judiciary and independent courts." Democrats say they want more openness but worry about judges' independence with one party holding a supermajority. source: kosu.org
- Bob Blackburn, former head of the Oklahoma Historical Society, on changing the commission: "anything that amends that, in my opinion, would weaken the system." source: kosu.org
Who backs each side
- For: the Republican leaders of the Legislature who sent it to voters, and Gov. Kevin Stitt, who wants a bigger change. Against: Democratic leaders in the Legislature. We have not yet found a campaign committee or reported campaign money for either side. source: kosu.org
In each side's own words where we could find them, quoted or summarized with a link to the source. We don't endorse either side.
What you will see on your ballot
Official ballot wording, word for word (tap to open)
The official ballot title, word for word from the Secretary of State's State Question file .
This measure amends article 7-B, section 3 of the Oklahoma Constitution, changing the Judicial Nominating Commission’s structure. Currently appointments are based on congressional districts as constituted in 1967. If approved, appointments to the fifteen-member Commission will be as follows: 1) Governor appoints six members, including one from each congressional district as of the time of their appointment; 2) the Oklahoma Bar Association appoints six members, including one from each congressional district as of the date of selection; and 3) no less than eight members select three at-large members. The measure will permit any number of the commissioners to be licensed attorneys in Oklahoma or another state. The prohibition against immediate family members from practicing law will be removed. The measure changes terms so that at-large commissioners would serve a two-year term, and all other commissioners would serve a six-year term. Additionally, it removes restrictions on political party membership for members appointed by the Governor and at-large members. The measure also permits a commissioner to succeed himself or herself. Vacancies will be filled in the same manner as a commissioner is appointed or selected for the remainder of the relevant term. This measure will not have a fiscal impact.
Shall the proposal be approved?
For the proposal – YES
Against the proposal – NO
This is the corrected final ballot title the Attorney General filed on August 13, 2026, fixing a typo in the May 29 version (which said "non-at-large commissioners" would serve two-year terms). Pages 21 and 22 of the Secretary of State file show both versions.
At a glance
Our plain-words summary. Every line points to its source.
Who it affects
- Today the governor's 6 members can include at most 3 from one political party, and the 3 members the commission picks itself can include at most 2. SQ 845 ends those limits, so all 9 could be from the same party. (news9.com )
- The commission is a 15-person group. When a seat opens on the Oklahoma Supreme Court, the Court of Criminal Appeals or the Court of Civil Appeals, it reviews who applied and sends the governor a short list to choose from. (news9.com )
- Today the governor's 6 members and the commission's own 3 picks can't be lawyers or have close family who work as lawyers. Under SQ 845, any member could be a lawyer. (news9.com )
- Members would come from today's congressional districts (the areas that each elect one U.S. House member) instead of the 1967 map, and could serve two terms in a row. (ballot title )
How many: Every Oklahoman, indirectly, because this group shapes who becomes a judge on the state's top courts.
Money: economic and budget impact
- The official ballot title says it has no effect on the state budget. (ballot title )
The new rules start as members' terms end or seats open up.
The current rules stay: party limits, and no lawyers among the governor's members and the commission's own picks.
Not yet known
- Whether the governor and the commission will choose more members from one party, or more lawyers, once they are allowed to.
Latest news
Recent reporting from a range of outlets, newest first. We link to it; we don't endorse it.
No articles collected yet for this measure.
Full text of the measure
The enrolled resolution in the Secretary of State file is a scanned image, so we link to it rather than retype it. Read it in the Secretary of State file, pages 1 to 9 (PDF) , or on the Legislature's page for House Joint Resolution 1024 , which also shows the votes in each chamber.
Read more
- State Election Board: State Questions
- News 9: what SQ 845 would change
- Oklahoma Policy Institute: what's on the November ballot
We link to analysis from several sources; we don't endorse it.