The Oklahoma Court on the Judiciary is one of the two independent courts in the Oklahoma judiciary and has exclusive jurisdiction in adjudicating discipline and hearing cases involving the removal of a judge from office, excluding the Oklahoma Supreme Court, exercising judicial power under the Oklahoma Constitution.
Purpose
The Court of the Judiciary is the court responsible for removing judges from their position if they have committed illegal acts, including gross neglect of duty, corruption in office, habitual drunkenness, commission while in office of any offense involving moral turpitude, gross partiality in office, oppression in office, or other grounds as specified by the state legislature to be removed from office. Also, the Court on the Judiciary may imposed forced retirement if the court finds the judge in question to be mentally or physically unable to perform their job.
Membership
There are nine judges that sit on the appellate division and nine other judges that sit on the trial division. Each judge is appointed by either the Oklahoma Supreme Court, the Oklahoma Bar Association, the Court of Criminal Appeals, or the Secretary of State.
Trial Division
The Secretary of State of Oklahoma is responsible for selecting eight senior judges, each under the age of 60, with no two judges representing the same district. In the case of equal seniority amongst the district judges, the eldest in years is to serve on the Trial Division. The ninth member of the court is chosen by the Executive Council of the Oklahoma Bar Association from among the bar's active members.
Appellate Division
As on the Trial Division, the Secretary of State is required to select five senior Judges, under age of 65, with no two of the judges representing one of the nine judicial districts. If any district judge is qualified for both divisions, the selected judge shall serve on the Appellate Division and the next in qualification shall serve on the Trial Division. Two current members of the Oklahoma Supreme Court, chosen from said court, will serve on the court and one current member of the Oklahoma Court of Criminal appeals, also chosen by said court, will serve on the court.
The final member is an active member of the Oklahoma Bar Association chosen by the Executive Council.
Leadership
Each division of the Court shall select from among its members a presiding judge, and the Courts shall be judge of the qualifications and the disqualification of its own members. Each division shall make and publish its own rules of procedure. Each division shall meet on call of its presiding judge or three of its members, with a majority of the authorized membership of either division of the court constituting a quorum for the exercise of any or the entire jurisdiction of that division, regardless of whether or not vacancies exist in the membership of that division.
The Clerk of the Supreme Court is also the Clerk of the Court on the Judiciary.
Judges pro tem
In all proceedings before the Court the established rules for disqualification of judges for interest, prejudice or partiality shall apply. No district judge shall sit in a matter in which the respondent is a judge of a court within his district court judicial district. In the event of the disqualification or failure to act of a member of the Court, a judge pro tem to sit in his place shall be named by the authority responsible for appointing them. If he is a district judge, the qualified district judge next in seniority from his Supreme Court judicial district, shall serve as judge pro tem.
Terms and appointment process
Prior to the first day in February of each odd-numbered year, the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, the Presiding Judge of the Court of Criminal Appeals and the President of the Bar Association shall certify to the Secretary of State the names of the judges who are chosen, respectively, by the said courts and by the Oklahoma Bar Association. The Secretary of State shall determine the district judges who hold membership on the Trial Division and the Appellate Division. Promptly thereafter he shall notify the members of the respective divisions to meet at the State Capitol on a day certain, within thirty days, for purposes of organization and of making or amending rules of procedure.
Members of the Trial and Appellate Courts shall serve until March 1 of the first odd-numbered year after the year in which they are named. If any Judge, during their time on either court, shall attainment the age limit specified by the Oklahoma Constitution shall not terminate their service during their current term.