Oklahoma Lawmakers Reject Proposal to Overhaul Judicial Selection Process
Lawmakers in the Oklahoma House are preserving the state’s process for selecting state-level justices this week. At least for now. A measure that would have dismantled a decades-old system meant to keep corruption out of Oklahoma’s judicial branch has failed.
The Judicial Nominating Commission, or JNC, was established by a vote of the people in 1967. It was in response to a scandal that revealed multiple justices on Oklahoma’s Supreme Court were taking bribes.
Rep. Mark Lepak is the House sponsor of Senate Joint Resolution 34, a measure to dismantle the JNC and replace it with a legislative confirmation process that more closely resembles the federal government’s.
Lepak says the constitutional amendment is for a more transparent judicial nomination process and is more representative of the people’s will.
Opponents of the resolution say it opens the door for partisanship and theatrics in Oklahoma’s judicial system.
The measure failed with a 36-60 vote earlier this week, but could technically be reconsidered. If eventually passed, it would face a vote of the people.
Oklahoma House Passes Sentencing Reform For Victims of Domestic Violence
A bill that seeks to provide sentencing reform for victims of domestic violence is one step closer to becoming law.
Senate President Pro Tem Greg Treat’s bill passed on the House floor 84-3 on Wednesday after passing on the Senate floor unanimously last month.
The bill would create the Oklahoma Survivors’ Act, which would allow defendants to provide evidence they were victims of domestic abuse within the year they committed a crime. If the court finds the defendant was a victim of abuse during the relevant period and the abuse was a substantial contributing factor to the crime, their sentence could be reduced.
The bill revives proposed legislation from last year which was passed unanimously by the House but ultimately lost momentum in the Senate after language allowing for the sentencing reform to be applied retroactively was removed.
It now goes to Gov. Kevin Stitt’s desk for signature.
CDC Surveys Miscount Native Americans, Study Finds
When the CDC counts Native American respondents to health surveys, they’re sometimes under-reporting the actual number of people who make up the data. In at least one survey, Indigenous populations are underrepresented.
A team of Native American researchers based in Tulsa analyzed the CDC’s Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System data results. The Oklahoma State and University of Oklahoma researchers discovered that when respondents answered they were more than one race, they were funneled into a single multi-racial or ethnic category.
Consequently, less than 15% of all Native participants were properly accounted for.
The researchers say this matters because statistical collection affects federal resource distribution. That in turn could impact health, social and behavioral outcomes for Indigenous people.
The team recommends the CDC take a more nuanced approach toward collecting data. And studies that utilize their numbers, look at the complexities of the populations surveyed.
Tulsa and Cherokee Nation Earn International Recognition in Global Film Awards
A city and tribal nation in Oklahoma are being recognized internationally for their film productions.
The Global Production Awards have put Tulsa and the Cherokee Nation on a shortlist for awards in various categories.
Cherokee Film is up for three awards while the city of Tulsa is nominated in the “City of Film” category.
Jennifer Loren, Cherokee Film’s senior director, says she and her staff were elated when they heard the news last week.
“We were gonna be excited to be shortlisted for any, but to be shortlisted for three? We were floored. We were kind of in shock, honestly," Loren said.
The GPA's were created by a number of international film organizations and will hold the winners’ ceremony next month at the Cannes Film Festival in France.
Cherokee Film has been nominated alongside major production studios like Universal, Warner Brothers and the BBC.
________________
For additional news throughout the day visit our website, KGOU.org and follow us on social media.
We also invite you to subscribe to the KGOU PM NewsBrief.