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STATE OF OKLAHOMA
2nd Session of the 58th Legislature (2022)
SENATE BILL 1825 By: Merrick
AS INTRODUCED
An Act relating to courts; amending 20 O.S. 2021,
Section 122, which relates to speci al judges;
limiting duration of certain appointmen ts;
authorizing appointment in different judicial
district; and providing an effective date.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF OKLAHOMA:
SECTION 1. AMENDATORY 20 O.S. 2021, Section 122, is
amended to read as follows:
Section 122. The number of special judges that may be appointed
in each judicial administrative district shall be determined as
follows:
1. A special judge shall b e appointed on the basis of one
special judge for each county within the administ rative district
with a population of at least twenty -four thousand (24,000), as
determined by the 1960 Federal Decennial Census. An additional
special judge shall be appointe d for each additional fifty tho usand
(50,000) in population in a county within th e administrative
district, as determined by the 1960 Federal Dece nnial Census. Such
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appointment may be made from any county in the administrative
district. Such appointments shall be made by the district judges in
their respective judicial administrative districts. Any judge of a
special sessions court shall be one o f the special judges for the
balance of his term and shall be within the number prescribed for
said district.
2. In addition to the special judges that may be appointed
pursuant to the provi sions of paragraph 1 of this section, there
shall be:
a. one (1) special judge appointed in the Northwest -
Panhandle Judicial Administrative District comprised
of District Court Judicial Districts Numbers On e (1),
Two (2) and Four (4), to serve in Custer Co unty;,
b. one (1) special judge appointed in the Oklahoma -
Canadian Counties Judicial Administrative District
comprised of District Court Judicial District Number
Seven (7);,
c. three (3) special judges appointed in the Tulsa-Pawnee
Counties Judicial Admini strative District comprised of
District Court Judicial District Num ber Fourteen
(14);,
d. beginning January 11, 1999, one (1) special judge
appointed in the Northeastern Judicial Administrative
District comprised of District Court Judicial
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Districts Numbers Ten (10), Eleven (11), Twelve (12)
and Thirteen (13), to serve in Rogers County;,
e. one (1) special judge appointed in the North Central
Judicial Administrative District compri sed of District
Court Judicial District Numbers Eight (8), Nine (9)
and Twenty-three (23), to serve in Lincoln and
Pottawatomie Counties ;,
f. beginning January 1, 2006, one (1) special judge
appointed in the East Central Judicial Administrative
District comprised of District Court J udicial District
Numbers Fifteen (15), Eighteen (1 8) and Twenty-four
(24), to serve in Pittsburg and McIntosh Counties ;,
g. beginning January 1, 2006, one (1) special judge
appointed in the Northeastern Judicial Administrative
District comprised of Distric t Court Judicial District
Numbers Ten (10), Eleven (11), Twelve (12) and
Thirteen (13), to serve in Washington County ;, and
h. beginning January 1, 2007, one (1) special judge
appointed in the Southeastern Judicial Administrative
District comprised of Dist rict Court Judicial District
Numbers Sixteen (16), Seventeen (17), Nineteen (19),
and Twenty-five (25), to serve in LeFlo re County.
3. If a vacancy occurs in the office of associate district
judge, or if an associate district judg e becomes unable to perfo rm
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the duties of his office, as determined by the presiding judge of
the judicial administrative district, a special judg e may be
appointed within the judicial administrative district to hold office
for the duration of said vacancy or incapacity. After th e vacancy
is filled, or after the associate distri ct judge becomes able to
perform the duties of his office, the special judge shall have the
power to act in regard to any case which he has already tried, but
the presiding judge of the judicial administrat ive district may
transfer such a case to any other judge in the judicial
administrative district.
4. The Chief Justice o f the Supreme Court may authorize the
appointment of such additional special judges as may be necessary
for the proper administration o f justice. Such additional special
judges shall be appointed after application by a majority of the
district judges of a judicial administrative district, stating the
reason why an additional special judge is needed. Such additio nal
judges need not be ba sed upon population figures.
5. An appointment of a special judge may not exceed two (2)
years. After a two-year appointment, a special judge may be
reappointed by another district judge or in another judicial
district.
SECTION 2. This act shall become effective Novembe r 1, 2022.
58-2-3389 TEK 1/20/2022 8:14:09 PM