Here's what you need to know about the judges on the 2024 ballot

It's voting time, and you're likely here because you don't want to be surprised when you see twelve judges and justices on your ballot that you know nothing about. Thanks for dropping by!

If you've ever done the frustrating task of searching for information on these courts and judges, I feel your pain. As I mentioned in previous election years, finding information on the justices and judges on the retention ballot can be a difficult task, and basic information such as their ages can be anywhere from difficult to find to completely unknown to even Google.

In this post, I'll cover the following justices and judges, which are on every Oklahoma voter's ballot:

• Supreme Court - Noma D. Gurich
• Supreme Court - Yvonne Kauger
• Supreme Court - James E. Edmondson
• Court of Criminal Appeals - William J. Musseman
• Court of Criminal Appeals - Scott Rowland
• Court of Criminal Appeals - David B. Lewis
• Court of Civil Appeals - James R. Huber
• Court of Civil Appeals - Timothy J. Downing
• Court of Civil Appeals - Thomas E. Prince
• Court of Civil Appeals - Robert Bobby Bell
• Court of Civil Appeals - E Bay Mitchell, III
• Court of Civil Appeals - Brian Jack Goree

Fair and Williams publish voters guide on judicial retention ballot

Conservative activists Steve Fair and Georgia Williams, both from southwestern Oklahoma, have published a brief voters guide since 1995, discussing the various state questions, judges, and justices on Oklahoma's statewide ballot every election cycle. The following information comes from their judicial retention ballot guide for the Chisholm Trail Shopper in Duncan. 

Gov. Stitt appoints Judge Thomas Prince to Court of Civil Appeals

GOVERNOR KEVIN STITT APPOINTS JUDGE THOMAS E. PRINCE TO COURT OF CIVIL APPEALS 

OKLAHOMA CITY (Dec. 18, 2020) – Governor Kevin Stitt announced today the appointment of Judge Thomas E. Prince to the Oklahoma Court of Civil Appeals. This is the governor’s third appointment to the Court.    

"Judge Tom Prince is a proven legal mind who has served the State of Oklahoma for over three decades," said Gov. Stitt. "Years of legal and judicial experience have prepared him for this new role, and I look forward to watching him serve the people of Oklahoma on the Court of Civil Appeals."  

"I am truly honored Governor Stitt would appoint me to the Court of Civil Appeals," Prince said. "As I have done as a District Judge, I will strive to rule according to the law in each case, to apply the law as written and to not favor any person, group or entity over another. I look forward to serving the people of the State of Oklahoma in this position."  

Prince has served as a District Judge for Oklahoma County since 2012, where he has presided over more than 95 civil and criminal jury trials. During his service as a District Judge, Prince was appointed by the Oklahoma Supreme Court to serve as the Presiding Judge for the State Multi-County Grand Jury from 2016 to 2018. He was also elected by his colleagues in Oklahoma and Canadian Counties to serve as the Vice-Presiding Judge for the Seventh Judicial Administrative District from 2016 to 2018. He was then elected to serve as the Presiding Administrative Judge for Oklahoma and Canadian Counties for the year 2019.