Here's what you need to know about the judges on the 2024 ballot

It's voting time, and you're likely here because you don't want to be surprised when you see twelve judges and justices on your ballot that you know nothing about. Thanks for dropping by!

If you've ever done the frustrating task of searching for information on these courts and judges, I feel your pain. As I mentioned in previous election years, finding information on the justices and judges on the retention ballot can be a difficult task, and basic information such as their ages can be anywhere from difficult to find to completely unknown to even Google.

In this post, I'll cover the following justices and judges, which are on every Oklahoma voter's ballot:

• Supreme Court - Noma D. Gurich
• Supreme Court - Yvonne Kauger
• Supreme Court - James E. Edmondson
• Court of Criminal Appeals - William J. Musseman
• Court of Criminal Appeals - Scott Rowland
• Court of Criminal Appeals - David B. Lewis
• Court of Civil Appeals - James R. Huber
• Court of Civil Appeals - Timothy J. Downing
• Court of Civil Appeals - Thomas E. Prince
• Court of Civil Appeals - Robert Bobby Bell
• Court of Civil Appeals - E Bay Mitchell, III
• Court of Civil Appeals - Brian Jack Goree

A quick explainer before we move to the judges themselves. From CourtFacts.org:

Oklahoma Supreme Court, Court of Criminal Appeals and Court of Civil Appeal are called "appellate courts," because they hear cases that have been appealed, and judges on these courts are thus called "appellate judges."

Appellate judges are first appointed by the governor from a list of three names of qualified individuals prepared by the Judicial Nominating Commission. At the end of their terms, appellate judges wishing to remain in office must declare their candidacy for retention. When a judge seeks retention, the judge's name is placed on the ballot at the next general election. Then Oklahoma voters can select "yes" to vote to retain that judge, or "no" to vote to not retain that judge. The Oklahoma Constitution provides that if an appellate judge does not receive a majority of "yes" votes, the office becomes vacant and the governor appoints a replacement.

If the judge does not file for retention or is not retained by voters, the governor appoints a new judge. 

Since Oklahoma went to this system in the 1960s, no judge has ever lost a retention vote. Each of these courts have six-year terms, so keep that in mind as you consider each of these judges and justices.

What's very important to remember is that the Governor is the individual who places judges and justices on these courts, so ultimately, their respective political beliefs and party platforms influence and inform whom they select to serve on the bench. If by some miracle one of the three justices and nine judges on the ballot this year becomes the first in history to lose a retention vote, incumbent Republican Governor Kevin Stitt would get to appoint a replacement. 

By the same token, the party affiliation of the Governor who appointed each of these judges is a contributing factor for you to consider. Do you agree more with the Republican Party platform, or with the Democratic Party platform? When appointing justices and judges, Democratic and Republican governors each have tendencies that generally mirror their party platforms. The judicial beliefs of their appointed judges usually follow (not always, but generally).

After giving what useful information I was able to find online, I will conclude each judge by listing how I will be voting, along with suggestions (when published) from conservative bloggers/activists like Michael Bates of Tulsa (he has some more detail on rulings by some of these judges) and Steve Fair of the Duncan area, both being sources that I trust. The conservative legislators in the Oklahoma Freedom Caucus have also posted their recommendations. iVoterGuide is set to release their ratings on Oct. 21st; I'll update this post with their information when available (I've been impressed with their analysis of candidates over the past few election cycles). Former State Rep. Jason Murphey, one of the most conservative legislators to ever serve, has a good post on the justices and his recommendation.

Many thanks also to the Oklahoma Bar Association for their helpful CourtFacts.org website, which gives a lot of nonpartisan information about Oklahoma's judicial system and officers.

Supreme Court (6 year term)

Justice Noma D. Gurich (72) was appointed by Democratic Governor Brad Henry in 2011.

An Indiana native, Gurich graduated from Indiana State University in 1975 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science and a minor in History, and received her Juris Doctorate degree from the College of Law of the University of Oklahoma in 1978. In her 30+ years as a judge in Oklahoma, she has been appointed to judicial offices by four different governors: to the Workers' Compensation Court in 1988 by Gov. Bellmon (R), reappointed by Gov. Walters (D) in 1994, to a District Court position in 1998 by Gov. Keating (R), and to the Supreme Court in 2011 by Gov. Henry (D).

She is married to John E. Miley, who recently retired from the U.S. Department of Labor. They are active members of  St. Luke’s United Methodist Church in Oklahoma City. She has a personal website with more detail on her civic and professional activities here.

Gurich has been on the liberal wing of the Oklahoma Supreme Court, particularly when it comes to the issue of abortion. Gov. Stitt has done well with his judicial appointments, and I'd much rather have him select a new justice than continue with a liberal one.

I will be voting 'NO' (do not retain) on Justice Gurich. Michael Bates, Steve Fair, Jason Murphey, and the Oklahoma Freedom Caucus also recommend a 'no' vote.

• BallotPedia gives her an 'Indeterminate' partisan score.
• OCPA gives her an 18% score (where 0% is bad and 100% is good).
• iVoterGuide rates her as a far-left 'proven activist'
• Her most recent public voter registration was Republican.

Justice Yvonne Kauger, age 87(!), was appointed by Democratic Governor George Nigh in 1984.

Kauger was born in Colony, OK, in 1937, and graduated from Southwestern Oklahoma State University in Weatherford in 1958. She graduated first in her class at Oklahoma City University School of Law in 1969. After working a few years in private practice, she became a staff lawyer at the Oklahoma Supreme Court, before being appointed to the Court in 1984 by Governor Nigh.

She is a member of the Episcopal Church, and has a daughter, two grandsons, and one great-grandson.

Kauger has been on the liberal wing of the Oklahoma Supreme Court (such as this pro-abortion ruling, which is one of many over the years). Gov. Stitt has done well with his judicial appointments, and I'd much rather have him select a new justice than continue with a liberal one. Additionally, Kauger would be 93 at the conclusion of her 6-year term; I don't think that's wise.

I will be voting 'NO' (do not retain) on Justice Kauger. Michael Bates, Steve Fair, Jason Murphey, and the Oklahoma Freedom Caucus also recommend a 'no' vote.

• BallotPedia gives her a 'Mild Democrat' partisan score.
• OCPA gives her an 18% score (where 0% is bad and 100% is good).
• iVoterGuide rates her as a far-left 'proven activist'
• Her most recent public voter registration was Democratic.

Justice James E. Edmondson (79) was appointed by Democratic Governor Brad Henry in 2003.

Edmondson received his B.A. degree from Northeastern State University in 1967. He served in the United States Navy (1967-1969) before attending Georgetown University Law School, where he received his law degree in 1973. After law school, he served as an assistant Muskogee County District Attorney, then assistant US Attorney and acting U.S. Attorney for Oklahoma's Eastern District. In 1983, he was appointed district judge by Gov. George Nigh, a position he held for 20 years before Gov. Henry appointed him to the Supreme Court in 2003.  

He and his wife, Suzanne, have two grown children, as well as one granddaughter and one grandson. 

The scion of an Oklahoma Democratic royal family, Edmondson is on the liberal wing of the Oklahoma Supreme Court (such as this pro-abortion ruling, one of many over the years). Gov. Stitt has done well with his judicial appointments, and I'd much rather have him select a new justice than continue with a liberal one.

I will be voting 'NO' (do not retain) on Justice Edmondson. Michael Bates, Steve Fair, Jason Murphey, and the Oklahoma Freedom Caucus also recommend a 'no' vote.

• BallotPedia gives him a 'Mild Democrat' partisan score.
• OCPA gives him a 21% score (where 0% is bad and 100% is good).
• iVoterGuide rates him as a far-left 'proven activist'
• His most recent public voter registration was Democratic.

Court of Civil Appeals (6 year term)

• Court of Criminal Appeals - William J. Musseman
• Court of Criminal Appeals - Scott Rowland
• Court of Criminal Appeals - David B. Lewis

Judge William J. Musseman (52) was appointed by Republican Governor Kevin Stitt in 2022.

Born in Tulsa and a graduate of Union High School, Musseman graduated from Northeastern State University in 1995 and then earned his Juris Doctor degree from the University of Oklahoma School of Law in 1997. He spent 11 years working as an Assistant District Attorney in the Tulsa County District Attorney’s Office, and served as a Special Judge and District Judge from 2009 to 2022. He and his wife Keirsten have been married for 28 years and raised their three children in Tulsa.

I will be voting 'Yes' (do retain) on Judge Musseman. Michael Bates, Steve Fair, and the Oklahoma Freedom Caucus also recommend a 'yes' vote.

• His most recent public voter registration was Republican.

Judge Scott Rowland (60) was appointed by Republican Governor Mary Fallin in 2017.

He grew up in Wynnewood and graduated from high school there. He earned a Bachelor of Arts in Journalism/Political Science from OU and his Juris Doctorate cum laude from Oklahoma City University School of Law. After law school, Rowland served as an Assistant Attorney General for the State of Oklahoma, General Counsel to the Oklahoma Bureau of Narcotics and Dangerous Drugs, and for eleven years as First Assistant District Attorney in the Oklahoma County District Attorney’s Office. 

He has been an adjunct instructor of criminal and constitutional law at Oklahoma State University at Oklahoma City since 1998. He and his wife, Shannon, live in Oklahoma City with their daughters Caroline and Emma.

I will be voting 'Yes' (do retain) on Judge Rowland. Michael Bates and Steve Fair also recommend a 'yes' vote. The Oklahoma Freedom Caucus recommends a 'no' vote.

• BallotPedia gives him a 'Mild Republican' partisan score.
• His most recent public voter registration was Republican.

Judge David B. Lewis (66) was appointed by Democratic Governor Brad Henry in 2005.

Born in Ardmore, Judge Lewis received his bachelor’s degree from the University of Oklahoma in 1980, and earned his law degree from the University of Oklahoma College of Law in 1983. He spent several years in private practice, and as a Comanche County prosecutor. He then served as a Special Judge from 1991 to 1999. and District Judge from 1999 to 2005. Lewis has two children.

I will be voting 'No' (do not retain) on Judge Lewis. Michael Bates, Steve Fair, and the Oklahoma Freedom Caucus also recommend a 'no' vote. Jason Murphey goes into some detail on positive and negative rulings Lewis has had on post-McGirt cases dealing with tribal/state jurisdiction.

• BallotPedia gives him a 'Indeterminate' partisan score.
• His most recent public voter registration was Republican.

Court of Civil Appeals (6 year term)

• Court of Civil Appeals - James R. Huber
• Court of Civil Appeals - Timothy J. Downing
• Court of Civil Appeals - Thomas E. Prince
• Court of Civil Appeals - Robert Bobby Bell
• Court of Civil Appeals - E Bay Mitchell, III
• Court of Civil Appeals - Brian Jack Goree

Judge James R. Huber (56) was appointed by Republican Governor Kevin Stitt in 2023.

Huber earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Oklahoma and a Juris Doctor degree from the University of Tulsa College of Law. He worked in the Tulsa County District Attorney’s Office before entering private practice in 1994. In 2019, Judge Huber was appointed as a special judge by the Tulsa County District Judges. He was appointed as a District Judge in Tulsa County in October 2020, where he served as Chief Judge of the Family Division. 

He and his wife, Julie, have been married since 1993 and have five children.

I will be voting 'Yes' (do retain) on Judge Huber. Michael Bates, Steve Fair, and the Oklahoma Freedom Caucus also recommend a 'yes' vote.

• His most recent public voter registration was Republican.

Judge Timothy J. Downing (45) was appointed by Republican Governor Kevin Stitt in 2022.

Downing graduated from Stratford High School and met his wife Lan the next year after she graduated from Pauls Valley High School. They got married and spent their twenties working their way through college, serving in ministry, and starting a family. Downing went to law school later in life at the age of thirty. Downing is a graduate of the University of Oklahoma with a B.A. in Public Affairs and Administration, Oral Roberts University with a Masters in Management, and Regent University School of Law. During law school, Downing was a Senior Law Clerk for Jay Sekulow at the American Center for Law and Justice, and a Legal Fellow for United States Senator James Inhofe. His public service has included the military, all three branches of government, and both federal and state offices.

After law school, he joined the military as a Judge Advocate in the United States Army Reserve where he continues to serve today. Downing was elected to to the Oklahoma House of Representatives in 2016, serving one term (with a moderate voting record) before President Trump appointed him to serve as US Attorney for the Western District of Oklahoma. In 2021, he served as the First Assistant Attorney General of Oklahoma.

The Downings have four children. They live in Norman and are active members of Victory Family Church. 

I will be voting 'Yes' (do retain) on Judge Downing. Michael Bates, Steve Fair, and the Oklahoma Freedom Caucus also recommend a 'yes' vote.

• His most recent public voter registration was Republican.

Judge Thomas E. Prince (62) was appointed by Republican Governor Kevin Stitt in 2020.

Born in Idabel, Judge Prince earned a bachelor’s degree in political science in 1979 from Southern Arkansas University and, in 1982, a J.D. from the OCU School of Law. Judge Prince was appointed by three prior governors to the Oklahoma State Election Board, where he served as a member from 1999 to 2012. He also was a member of the Standards Board of the United States Election Assistance Commission from 2009 to 2012. Judge Prince had served as a District Judge for Oklahoma County from 2012 to 2020. During his tenure as a district judge, the Oklahoma Supreme Court appointed him as the presiding judge of the State Multi-County Grand Jury, serving in that position from 2016 to 2018. Prior to becoming a judge, he was in private law practice for 29 years.

I will be voting 'Yes' (do retain) on Judge Prince. Michael Bates, Steve Fair, and the Oklahoma Freedom Caucus also recommend a 'yes' vote.

• In 2022, JudgeVoterGuide.com rated Judge Prince 4 out of 5 stars, a 'very good' rating, and recommended voting in favor of retention.
• His most recent public voter registration was Republican.

Judge Robert Bobby Bell (57) was appointed by Democratic Governor Brad Henry in 2005.

Bell attended and graduated from the Norman Public School system. He received his B.A. from the University of Oklahoma, J.D. from the University of Tulsa College of Law and a LL.M. from the Duke University School of Law. Bell worked in private practice in Norman for 13 years in Norman, while also serving as municipal judge for the cities of Moore, Purcell, Blanchard, Noble and Broken Arrow.

He was appointed to the bench in 1994 and he has served as an adjunct professor at the University of Oklahoma College of Law since 1998. In June 2005, he was appointed as a judge on the Oklahoma Court of Civil Appeals.

He and his wife Carolyn have two children, and are members of Christ the King Catholic Church in Oklahoma City.

I will be voting 'No' (do not retain) on Judge Bell. After hearing some positive information, Michael Bates takes a neutral position as of his 10/19/24 update, while Steve Fair and the Oklahoma Freedom Caucus recommend a 'no' vote. Jason Murphey goes into some detail on why he also recommends a 'no' vote.

• His most recent public voter registration was Republican.

Judge E. Bay Mitchell, III (70) was appointed by Republican Governor Frank Keating in 2002.

Mitchell grew up in Enid and graduated from Enid High School in 1972. He received a bachelor’s degree in 1976 and a Juris Doctor degree in 1979 from the University of Oklahoma. He worked in private law practice for 14 years in Oklahoma City and in Enid. In 1993, he became staff attorney at the Oklahoma Court of Civil Appeals, and was appointed to the Court in 2002 by Gov. Keating.

Judge Mitchell and his wife, Deborah, have been married for 48 years, and have three grown children. They are members of St. Luke's United Methodist Church in Oklahoma City.  

I will be voting 'Yes' (do retain) on Judge Mitchell. Michael Bates takes no position as of this writing (10/15/24). Steve Fair and the Oklahoma Freedom Caucus recommend a 'yes' vote.

• His most recent public voter registration was Republican.

Judge Brian Jack Goree (60) was appointed by Republican Governor Mary Fallin in 2012.

Goree was raised in Tulsa and earned a bachelor’s degree in chemistry from the University of Oklahoma in 1986, and his law degree from the University of Tulsa College of Law in 1989. He worked in private practice in Tulsa for 23 years before being appointed to the Court of Civil Appeals in 2012 by Gov. Fallin.

He and his wife Jill live in Oklahoma City.

I will be voting 'Yes' (do retain) on Judge Goree. Michael Bates takes no position as of this writing (10/15/24). Steve Fair recommends a 'yes' vote, while the Oklahoma Freedom Caucus recommends a 'no' vote.

• His most recent public voter registration was Republican.

Again, as a quick recap, here are the judges and justices, along with my personal voting recommendation:

• Supreme Court - Noma D. Gurich (No)
• Supreme Court - Yvonne Kauger (No)
• Supreme Court - James E. Edmondson (No)
• Court of Criminal Appeals - William J. Musseman (Yes)
• Court of Criminal Appeals - Scott Rowland (Yes)
• Court of Criminal Appeals - David B. Lewis (No)
• Court of Civil Appeals - James R. Huber (Yes)
• Court of Civil Appeals - Timothy J. Downing (Yes)
• Court of Civil Appeals - Thomas E. Prince (Yes)
• Court of Civil Appeals - Robert Bobby Bell (No)
• Court of Civil Appeals - E Bay Mitchell, III (Yes)
• Court of Civil Appeals - Brian Jack Goree (Yes)

I hope this information has been helpful to you. Pass it along to any voter you know that is in need of this material before they cast their ballot! 

If you are in need of information about the two state questions on ballots statewide, check out my article Here's what you need to know about the State Questions on Oklahoma's 2024 ballot.

You can help support the work here at MuskogeePolitico.com by indulging this quick pitch. While you're here, let me quickly introduce you to Upside, an easy way to save on fuel. 

Upside is a mobile app that gets you cash back on fuel purchases, which you can redeem for gift cards, or deposit to your PayPal or bank account. Gift cards include retailers such as Amazon, Walmart, Apple, Google Play, Lowe's, Target, Starbucks, Chili's, and more. Participating gas stations are listed with a cents-off amount. 

Below is a screenshot on some areas here in Oklahoma, showing retailers that participate with Upside (prices were valid on the morning of October 15th). And yes, some of those stations are offering in excess of 12¢ back per gallon (I've gotten as much as 25¢/gal before):

(Click to view larger)

In my experience, all Casey's and E-Z Mart stations in Oklahoma participate, along with quite a few Valero, Shell, and Sinclair stations. On road trips through states like Kansas and Tennessee, BP and Shell seem to be pretty common. In the past year or two, restaurants and convenience stores have been added (including national chains like Domino's Pizza, Taco Bueno), though these are more sporadic and urban focused. There are a total of 593 locations in Oklahoma that you can use Upside at, and over 50,000 nationwide.

I've used Upside for five years, and saved over $670 on fuel thus far. Use my promo code by signing up at this link. Your first use will get an additional 15¢ off per gallon! 

You can view a few other money-saving apps I use, along with promo codes to get you jumpstarted, at this page. 

Thanks for humoring me and reading to the very end! I hope all of the information in this post is helpful to you.