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HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES - FLOOR VERSION
STATE OF OKLAHOMA
2nd Session of the 59th Legislature (2024)
ENGROSSED SENATE
BILL NO. 1697 By: Dahm and Bullard of the
Senate
and
Lepak of the House
[ Administrative Director of the Courts - annual
reports - electronic submission - Legislature -
submission of copies of written and electronic
communications - certification requirements –
emergency ]
BE IT ENACTED BY THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF OKLAHOMA:
SECTION 1. AMENDATORY 20 O.S. 2021, Section 16.11, is
amended to read as follows:
Section 16.11. A. The Administrative D irector of the Courts is
requested to shall submit a report electronically to the Legislature
by January 15 of each year commencing in January, 1970 (and in each
January thereafter), on the following subjects:
(a) 1. Whether or not the boundaries of the d istrict court
judicial districts should be change d. If a change is recommended,
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the report should indicate the counties that should be included in
each district.;
(b) 2. The number of district judges and associate district
judges that should be authorize d for each judicial district .;
(c) 3. If the formula for the number of special judges to be
allowed to each judicial administrative district should be c hanged.;
(d) 4. The case load pending in each district court judicial
district.;
(e) 5. The number of cases heard on their merits by each judge
of the district court during the preceding year .; and
(f) 6. In making the above report, said the Administrative
Director shall, along with whatever other criteria he uses used in
making the report, consider the area involved in the judicial
district and the distances involved between the places where court
is held in said the district.
B. In addition to the rep ort required by subsection A of this
section, the Administrative Director of the Courts shall submit a
report electronically to the Legislature by Octob er 15 of each year
that contains the following information from the prior year:
1. A list of each case in which the Supreme Court or the Court
of Civil Appeals considered a challenge to the constitutionalit y of
or invalidated a statute passed by the Legislature. For each such
case, the report shall include the case name, case number, statute
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challenged or invalidated, and a concise statement of the holding of
the Court;
2. A detailed accounting of the case load of the Supreme Court,
the Court of Civil Appeals, and the Court of Criminal Appeals,
including the total number of cases appealed to each Court, the
number of opinions issued, the number of cases pending before each
Court as of the date of the report , and the number of opinions
authored by each justice or judge;
3. A list of each case decided by the Supreme Court in which a
special justice took part in the decision. For each such case, the
report shall include the case name, case number, special justice,
and a concise statement of the holding of th e Court;
4. A report detailing the management of the Judicial Nominating
Commission including expenses incurred supporting the Commission,
all meetings of the Commission and the matters considered at each
meeting, judicial vacancies for which the Commission submitted
nominees to the Governor, and copies of all written or electronic
communications between em ployees of the Administrative Office of the
Courts and Justices of the Supreme Court regarding the Judi cial
Nominating Commission;
5. A list of each in stance in which a member of the Judicial
Nominating Commission recused or was disqualified from particip ating
in the nomination process to fill a judicial vacancy. For each such
instance, the report shall i nclude the name of the Commissioner, the
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vacancy for which the Commissioner recused or was disqualified, and
the reason for the recusal or disqualificati on; and
6. Any other information the Administrative Director of the
Courts believes would assist the L egislature in conducting oversight
of the Administrative Office of the Courts and the courts of this
state.
C. The Administrative Director of the Courts shall certify
under oath that the report described in subsection B of this section
is true to the best of his or her knowledge and information, that
the report contains no material misrepresentations or omissions, and
that the report was prepared after th e exercise of reasonable
diligence to obtain the information required by this section.
SECTION 2. It being immediately necessary for th e preservation
of the public peace, health or safety, an emergency is hereby
declared to exist, by reaso n whereof this act shall take effect and
be in full force from and after its passage and approval.
COMMITTEE REPORT BY: COMMITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONS AND BUDGET , dated
04/18/2024 - DO PASS, As Amended.