Jolley Seeks Hold On Supreme Court Appointment

The Supreme Court of Oklahoma issued an order assuming original jurisdiction in a lawsuit questioning the validity of justices appointed through the Judicial Nominating Commission and will hear an oral argument before the entire court on February 1, 2011 according to a Journal Entry filed in court today.

Senator Clark Jolley, R-Edmond, a Senate author of the SQ 752, has previously called on Governor Brad Henry to respect the wishes of the people and not appoint a justice forwarded to him by a Judicial Nominating Commission that was not properly reconstituted as required by the state question.

Today calling for politics to be set aside, Jolley asked both Henry and Governor-Elect Mary Fallin to refrain from selecting a new justice until the validity of the Judicial Nominating Commissions’ actions can be determined by the full Court.

“It would be unfortunate for a Justice to be selected for this important position only to have that subsequent procedure declared void and casting a cloud over that Justice’s appointment. I ask Governor Henry and Governor-Elect Fallin to exercise patience and not rush to appoint a Justice until the court has had their oral arguments on February 1, at a minimum.”

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