2018 Tulsa judicial candidate questionnaires and judicial forum

The June 2018 issue of Tulsa Lawyer Magazine, published by the Tulsa County Bar Association, is the special 2018-2019 election issue. It devotes seven pages to questionnaire responses from the candidates for District Judge and Associate District Judge who will be on the June 26, 2018, primary election ballot. (Two seats drew only two candidates each and will only be on the November ballot.) The issue is available to read online, but cannot be downloaded.

The questionnaire covers basic background information -- current occupation, law school, years in practice, judicial docket or legal specialization -- and asks about civic involvement and community service, management strengths, changes, and personal strengths that are important to service as a judge. There's a box for stats: Percentage of work devoted to civil litigation, criminal litigation, and arbitration / mediation, number of cases tried to verdict, tried to juries, and for current judges, number of bench trials conducted.

Of course, this is only each candidate's testimony about himself. There is no cross-examination. Keith McArtor doesn't mention that he used to be chairman of the Tulsa County Democratic Party. Martha Rupp Carter briefly mentions her service as City Attorney, but not the circumstances of her resignation from that office. Still the basic information preesented here is useful.

The same issue has profiles of candidates for Tulsa County Bar Association offices for the coming term, including delegates to the American Bar Association and Oklahoma Bar Association. The voting period ended yesterday.

Back on May 31, TCBA also jointly hosted, with the Tulsa Criminal Defense Lawyers Association, a "Judicial Review" featuring 16 of the candidates for district judge and associate district judge. The videos are online here.