Oklahoma voters will decide whether to keep four Supreme Court justices on the bench when they cast ballots Tuesday, Nov. 3.
Justices Richard Darby, Travis Jett, M. John Kane IV and Vice Chief Justice Dana Kuehn each need a simple majority "yes" vote to earn another six-year term. None of the four faces an organized opposition campaign, as reported by NonDoc. That marks a sharp change from 2024, when Justice Yvonne Kauger became the first justice not retained in state history.
In written responses to NonDoc, all four justices said they intend to serve a full term if retained. Each pointed to staffing shortages or outdated technology as the judiciary's biggest administrative challenge.
Darby, 68, said the state lacks enough certified court reporters to serve its judges. The shortage delays hearings and slows case resolution, he wrote. He added that the court is monitoring the growing use of artificial intelligence in filings.
"Administratively, we have an insufficient number of certified court reporters for the number of judges in Oklahoma," Darby wrote.
On Monday, Oct. 12, the Oklahoma Supreme Court issued an order creating a three-year Speech to Text Recording and Cloud Storage Pilot Program. The order says the program will use AI-driven speech recognition to produce court records when a court reporter cannot be present. Pilot counties have not yet been named. The Administrative Director of the Courts will select them with the chief justice's approval.
Darby dissented.
Kuehn, Kane and Jett concurred. Kuehn, 55, told NonDoc the courts need more legislative funding to recruit judges, court reporters, bailiffs and staff. Kane, 64, said the judiciary's biggest challenge is maintaining public confidence. He pointed to his decision as chief justice to post oral argument videos online. Jett, 41, the court's newest member, said technology should help manage and access court records more efficiently. Gov. Kevin Stitt appointed Jett in April 2025 to replace Kauger.
In 2024, the Oklahoma Council of Public Affairs (OCPA) ran TV ads urging "no" votes against three justices. This year, the conservative think tank has limited itself to a judicial scorecard rating how justices "affect job growth, the rule of law, and Oklahoma values." The scorecard gives Jett an 84 percent lifetime score, Kuehn 83 percent, Kane 79 percent and Darby 52 percent.
Among the cases the scorecard highlights is a 7-1 decision expanding attorney-client privilege for government agencies. Kane, Kuehn and Jett supported the majority. Darby recused without stating a reason. Ryan Haynie, OCPA's vice president for legal affairs, wrote that the ruling allows any government agency subject to the Open Records Act to hire an attorney to investigate itself "and then hide the results of that investigation from the taxpayers who paid for it."
Early voting runs Wednesday, Oct. 28, through Friday, Oct. 30, from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., and Saturday, Oct. 31, from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Polls open 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Election Day, Tuesday, Nov. 3.
