Judicial officers; requiring Supreme Court to establish the Judicial Performance Evaluation Council; establishing procedures for judicial performance evaluation program. Effective date.

SB 118 requires Oklahoma's Supreme Court to create the Judicial Performance Evaluation Council (JPEC) and an Office of Judicial Performance Evaluation (OJPE) within the Administrative Office of the Courts. The bill establishes a process where judges are evaluated annually through surveys (including self-evaluations), with results reviewed by JPEC and a final determination made by the Supreme Court on whether judges meet performance standards. This system aims to provide public information on judicial performance, identify areas for improvement, and support judicial education, while maintaining judicial independence. The Supreme Court must adopt rules for the evaluation process and publicly share annual reports on judge performance, including details on how judges met standards. The bill directly affects all intermediate appellate and district court judges in Oklahoma.