HJR 1024: Oklahoma Constitution; congressional districts; terms of office; restrictions; attorneys; succession; ballot title; filing. - Oklahoma

Floor (House) → Floor (Senate) · 2 edits

MINOR

The bill was converted from a House draft to a Senate floor version, updating the header dates and session information. The core text regarding the Judicial Nominating Commission remained largely the same, though the Senate version includes minor formatting adjustments and renumbering of subsections to align with standard legislative formatting conventions.

Scope change

The scope and applicability of the bill remain unchanged; it still directs the Secretary of State to refer a proposed constitutional amendment regarding the Judicial Nominating Commission to the people for approval or rejection.

TECHNICAL

The document header was updated to reflect the Senate floor version with a new date (March 4, 2026) and session year (2026), replacing the original House committee substitute header.

Minor formatting and renumbering adjustments were made to the text of the proposed constitutional amendment to ensure consistency with Senate drafting standards, including reordering subsection letters.

HJR1024 (4-01-26) (GOLLIHARE) FA1.PDF → Floor (House) · 5 edits

MODERATE

The bill was converted from a Senate draft to a House Floor version, which replaced the original text with a comprehensive proposal to create a Judicial Nominating Commission. This new commission would consist of 15 members with specific eligibility restrictions to prevent conflicts of interest among lawyers and political parties, and it would be responsible for selecting judicial candidates in Oklahoma.

Scope change

The bill's scope expanded from a simple order for a special election to a detailed legislative framework establishing a permanent Judicial Nominating Commission with specific appointment procedures, term limits, and disqualification rules.

REQUIREMENT

Established a new Judicial Nominating Commission of 15 members to select judicial candidates.

Defined specific appointment methods, including selection by the Governor, Oklahoma Bar Association, and legislative leaders, with term limits of two, four, or six years.

ELIGIBILITY

Added strict eligibility rules requiring at least six members to be non-lawyers and prohibiting any member from having immediate family members who are lawyers.

TIMELINE

Removed the original provision ordering a special election for August 25, 2026, to be held throughout the state.

DEFINITION

Added detailed provisions regarding vacancies, compensation (unpaid with reimbursement), and conflict of interest rules for commissioners.

House Committee Substitute → HJR1024 (4-01-26) (GOLLIHARE) FA1.PDF · 3 edits

MINOR

The bill was amended to add a specific election date (August 25, 2026) for the proposed constitutional amendment, replacing the previous text that detailed the structure and rules of the Judicial Nominating Commission. This change shifts the document's function from proposing new commission rules to simply ordering a special election to vote on the amendment.

Scope change

The scope changed from proposing a new commission structure to ordering a specific special election.

TIMELINE

Added a specific date, August 25, 2026, for a special election to be held statewide.

REQUIREMENT

Removed the detailed text establishing the Judicial Nominating Commission, including its 15-member composition, appointment procedures, term limits, and eligibility restrictions.

SCOPE

Changed the resolution's purpose from directing the Secretary of State to refer a proposed amendment regarding the commission to ordering a special election for that amendment.

Proposed Policy Committee Substitute 1 → House Committee Substitute · 5 edits

MODERATE

The bill was significantly amended to change its purpose from establishing a Judicial Nominating Commission to directing the Secretary of State to refer a constitutional amendment regarding congressional districts to the voters. The original text proposing a new commission was entirely removed and replaced with language focused on redistricting procedures and district changes.

Scope change

The scope of the bill shifted entirely from creating a new judicial body (Judicial Nominating Commission) to addressing legislative redistricting and congressional district modifications.

SCOPE

The entire original measure proposing the creation of a fifteen-member Judicial Nominating Commission was deleted.

New language was inserted to direct the Secretary of State to refer a constitutional amendment concerning changes to congressional districts for voter approval.

ELIGIBILITY

Specific eligibility criteria for commission members, such as restrictions on family members practicing law and term limits, were removed as the commission proposal was eliminated.

REQUIREMENT

Provisions regarding the appointment process, voting procedures for commission members, and their service terms were removed.

New requirements were added to prescribe procedures for changes in congressional districts and define the applicability of these amendatory provisions.

Proposed Committee Substitute (full committee) 1 → Proposed Policy Committee Substitute 1 · 4 edits

MODERATE

The bill was revised from a 'Proposed Committee Substitute' to a 'Proposed Policy Committee Substitute,' indicating a procedural shift to a policy-focused review stage. The substantive content of the proposed constitutional amendment remains largely the same, but the text was reorganized and renumbered to fix structural errors and clarify the composition of the Judicial Nominating Commission.

Scope change

The scope of the bill's applicability remains unchanged; it still directs the Secretary of State to submit a constitutional amendment regarding the Judicial Nominating Commission to the voters.

TECHNICAL

The bill title and header were updated from 'Proposed Committee Substitute' to 'Proposed Policy Committee Substitute' and the date was changed, reflecting a procedural status update rather than a policy change.

The text of the proposed constitutional amendment was renumbered and restructured to correct formatting errors, such as merging fragmented paragraphs and fixing inconsistent line breaks.

The reference number for the bill was updated from 'Req. No. 13081' to 'Req. No. 12370' to reflect the new version of the document.

REQUIREMENT

Minor textual adjustments were made to the eligibility criteria for commission members, clarifying the requirements for lay members and the Oklahoma Bar Association members to ensure clear selection procedures.

Enrolled (final version) → Proposed Committee Substitute (full committee) 1 · 3 edits

MINOR

The bill was completely rewritten to replace the original text with a new version. The substantive policy regarding the composition of the Judicial Nominating Commission remains largely the same, but the new text corrects a critical error in the original draft where the terms for the six Governor-appointed 'lay' members were inconsistent (listing 2, 4, and 6 years in one paragraph and 2, 4, and 6 years in another, while the original text had conflicting term lengths). The amendment also updates the legislative session reference from the 2nd session to the 1st session of the 60th Legislature and cleans up formatting inconsistencies.

Scope change

The scope of the amendment remains focused on updating the Judicial Nominating Commission, but the applicability of the new text is now tied to the 1st Session of the 60th Legislature instead of the 2nd Session.

TECHNICAL

The entire text of the resolution was replaced with a new version to fix formatting errors and correct a contradiction in the term lengths for Governor-appointed lay members.

Header information was changed from 'ENROLLED HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION' to 'COMMITTEE AMENDMENT' and 'PROPOSED COMMITTEE SUBSTITUTE'.

TIMELINE

The legislative session reference was updated from the '2nd Session of the 60th Oklahoma Legislature' to the '1st Session of the 60th Legislature (2025)'.

Engrossed → Enrolled (final version) · 3 edits · Apr 16, 2026

MINOR

The bill was updated from the Engrossed to the Enrolled version, changing the legislative session from the 1st to the 2nd session of the 60th Legislature. The core text of the proposed constitutional amendment regarding the Judicial Nominating Commission remains substantively identical, with only minor formatting adjustments and the addition of a new section clarifying that the changes apply to vacancies and expiring terms.

Scope change

The scope of the bill's applicability was slightly clarified by adding a new section stating that the amendments apply to any commission position ending by expiration or vacancy, ensuring the new rules take effect immediately for open seats.

TIMELINE

The legislative session changed from the 1st Session to the 2nd Session of the 60th Oklahoma Legislature.

REQUIREMENT

A new clause was added to specify that the proposed amendments apply to any Judicial Nominating Commission position that ends by expiration of term or vacancy.

TECHNICAL

Minor formatting changes were made to the page headers and line breaks throughout the document.

Introduced → Engrossed · 6 edits · Apr 9, 2026

MODERATE

The bill was amended to change the constitutional amendment from adding a new section to modifying an existing one, specifically updating references to congressional districts and removing several eligibility restrictions for the Judicial Nominating Commission. The most significant policy change is the removal of barriers that previously prevented non-lawyers and family members of attorneys from serving on the commission, aiming to increase diversity and reduce political party influence. Additionally, the text was updated to clarify term limits and vacancy procedures for the commission members.

Scope change

The bill's scope shifted from creating a new constitutional section to amending Section 3 of Article VII-B, and the applicability of the changes was extended to cover updates regarding congressional districts and the removal of specific eligibility barriers.

SCOPE

Changed the action from adding a new Section 8 to Article VII-B to updating and modifying existing Section 3 of Article VII-B.

ELIGIBILITY

Removed restrictions that barred individuals who are not admitted to practice law or whose immediate family members are admitted to practice law from serving as lay members of the commission.

Removed the restriction that prevented members of a political party from serving on the commission, replacing it with a limit of no more than three members from any single party.

Removed the restriction that barred individuals from succeeding themselves or serving more than 12 consecutive years, replacing it with a new limit of 12 consecutive years.

REQUIREMENT

Updated the composition requirements to ensure at least one lay member is selected from each congressional district and clarified the selection process for at-large members.

TIMELINE

Added specific timelines for appointments and elections, such as requiring Governor appointments within 90 days of the article becoming effective.

Oklahoma Constitution; congressional districts; terms of office; restrictions; attorneys; succession; ballot title; filing.

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