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Bill > SB118
OK SB118
OK SB118Judicial officers; requiring Supreme Court to establish the Judicial Performance Evaluation Council; establishing procedures for judicial performance evaluation program. Effective date.
summary
Introduced
02/03/2025
02/03/2025
In Committee
02/04/2025
02/04/2025
Crossed Over
Passed
Dead
Introduced Session
2025 Regular Session
Bill Summary
An Act relating to judicial officers; requiring Supreme Court to establish the Judicial Performance Evaluation Council; requiring the Supreme Court to establish the Office of Judicial Performance Evaluation within the Administrative Office of the Courts; stating purposes of judicial evaluation process; establishing duties of Judicial Performance Evaluation Council; requiring certain examination by Supreme Court upon receipt of certain report; requiring appointment of director of Office of Judicial Performance Evaluation by Supreme Court; requiring hiring of employees for certain purpose; requiring certain operational support; authorizing hiring of outside vendor for certain purposes; requiring adoption and administration of certain process by Supreme Court; requiring establishment of court rules for certain purposes; requiring distribution of rules to certain officials; providing for confidentiality of certain information; providing exception; providing for waiver of right to confidentiality under certain circumstances; requiring certain information to be publicly available; authorizing certain referrals to Council on Judicial Complaints; requiring annual report of judicial performance evaluation program; specifying information for inclusion in certain report; requiring distribution of report to certain officials; requiring posting of report on certain website; providing for codification; and providing an effective date.
AI Summary
This bill establishes a comprehensive judicial performance evaluation system in Oklahoma, requiring the Supreme Court to create the Judicial Performance Evaluation Council (JPEC) and the Office of Judicial Performance Evaluation (OJPE) to review and improve the performance of intermediate appellate and district court judges. The primary purposes of this evaluation process include providing performance information to the public and judges themselves, helping judges improve their skills, identifying judicial education needs, and balancing judicial independence with public accountability. The Supreme Court will develop specific rules for performance standards, conduct surveys involving opinions from people familiar with each judge's work, and require self-evaluations from judges. If a judge fails to achieve a satisfactory evaluation in two consecutive assessments or does not complete required programs, their evaluation results may be made publicly available. The bill mandates an annual report detailing the number of evaluations, response rates, and actions taken to address any performance deficiencies, which will be distributed to key state officials and published on the Supreme Court's website. The legislation is set to take effect on November 1, 2025, and aims to create a transparent, constructive process for assessing judicial performance.
Committee Categories
Justice
Sponsors (2)
Last Action
Coauthored by Representative Kannady (principal House author) (on 02/24/2025)
Official Document
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