Title: RE: AMENDMENTS TO RULES ON ADMINISTRATION OF COURTS
Citation: 2011 OK 41
Docket Number: SCAD-2011-35
State: Oklahoma
Issuer: Oklahoma Supreme Court
Date: May 12, 2011

RE: AMENDMENTS TO RULES ON ADMINISTRATION OF COURTS2011 OK 41Case Number: SCAD-2011-35Decided: 05/12/2011THE SUPREME COURT OF THE STATE OF OKLAHOMA
RE: AMENDMENTS TO RULES ON ADMINISTRATION OF COURTS, 20 O.S.2001, Ch. 1, App. 2.
O R D E R
Pursuant to our general superintending control over all inferior courts, Okla. Const., art. 7, § 4, and our general administrative authority over state courts, Okla. Const., art. 7, § 6, we hereby amend the Rules on Administration of Courts, 20 O.S.2001, Ch. 1, App. 2, as set out in the attachment hereto. It is therefore ordered that the amended Rules on Administration of Courts are hereby approved and adopted and shall be effective immediately.
It is also ordered that this order with the attachment shall be available for access via the internet from the Court website at www.oscn.net and that the Administrative Director of the Courts shall distribute digital copies of this order with the attachment via email to the District Judges, Associate District Judges, Special Judges, Secretary-Bailiffs, and Official Shorthand Reporters. It is further ordered that the Rules on Administration of Courts as amended shall be included in the official publication of the Oklahoma Statutes.
DONE BY ORDER OF THE SUPREME COURT IN CONFERENCE on this 12th day of May, 2011.
/s/Chief Justice
Taylor, C.J., Colbert, V.C.J., and Kauger, Watt, Winchester, Reif, Combs, and Gurich, JJ., concur.
Edmondson, J., dissents.

ATTACHMENT TO ORDER No. SCAD-2011-35
Rule 1. Presiding Judges and Chief Judges
A. At least every two years, all district and associate district judges selected for service in courts sitting within a statutorily-designated judicial administrative district shall assemble at a time and place agreed upon by them to select a district judge to serve at their pleasure as Presiding Judge of that judicial administrative district. Okla. Const., art. 7, § 10.
B. In meetings held to select a Presiding Judge three-fourths of the total number of judges qualified to participate shall constitute a quorum. A majority vote of those present shall be sufficient to select a Presiding Judge. The order appointing a Presiding Judge shall be signed by all the judges participating in the selection, and the order shall be filed with the Administrative Director of the Courts.
C. The Chief Justice may declare, for good cause shown, the office of the Presiding Judge to be vacant and direct all district and associate district judges selected for service in courts sitting within the affected judicial administrative district to assemble at a designated time and place for the purpose of selecting a successor. Whenever the office of the Presiding Judge remains vacant or its incumbent is either temporarily absent or disabled, the Chief Justice shall designate one of the district judges of a court sitting within the affected judicial administrative district as Acting Presiding Judge. The Acting Presiding Judge shall hold office until a successor is regularly selected or until the incumbent is able to resume the duties of Presiding Judge.
D. Subject only to the rules, orders, and directives of the Supreme Court or the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, the Presiding Judge shall have general administrative authority and supervision over all the district courts within the judicial administrative district. The Presiding Judge shall have supervisory authority over: 
1. The assignment of pending cases to the judges; 
2. The work of the courts; 
3. The operation of all courts in the judicial administrative district to assure adherence to statewide court objectives and policies; and
4. Such other duties assigned by the Chief Justice.
E. The Presiding Judge may: 
1. Counsel and assist other judges in the performance of their administrative responsibilities;
2. Coordinate and determine the assignment of district court personnel required to be present to perform the necessary work of the courts and require their presence to perform that work in any court in the judicial administrative district;
3. Assign district court personnel to locations within the judicial administrative district as necessary to maintain balanced workloads or to expedite the work of those courts; and
4. Perform such other duties and enter such orders necessary to carry out the purposes of these rules.
F. Except in Oklahoma County and Tulsa County, the Presiding Judge shall appoint a district judge in each district court judicial district within the judicial administrative district to serve as Chief Judge. If a district court judicial district has only one resident district judge, that judge shall serve as Chief Judge of the judicial district. If a district court judicial district has more than one resident district judge, the Presiding Judge shall designate one of them as the Chief Judge of the district courts within the district court judicial district, or the Presiding Judge may, by order, prescribe a rotation for the district judges to serve as the Chief Judge of the judicial district. The Chief Judge shall serve at the pleasure of the Presiding Judge. 
Rule 2. Administrative and Supervisory Control over District Court Personnel
A. As used in these rules, district court personnel means all district court employees including, but not limited to, secretary-bailiffs, court reporters, juvenile case managers, referees, and special judges.
B. Subject only to the rules, orders, and directives of the Supreme Court, the Chief Justice, or the Presiding Judge, the Chief Judge of each district court judicial district shall be responsible for the supervision of all district court personnel in the judicial district. If there is no Chief Judge in the judicial district, then the district judge shall be responsible for the supervision of the district court personnel. In Oklahoma County and in Tulsa County, the Presiding Judge, rather than the Chief Judge, shall be responsible for the supervision of all district court employees in the judicial district. Each district court personnel shall be subject to the administrative and supervisory control of the following persons, in ascending order of authority:
1. The employee's immediate supervisor, if the employee reports to someone other than a district judge;
2. A district judge of the judicial district;
3. The Chief Judge of the judicial district, in all districts other than Oklahoma County and Tulsa County;
4. The Presiding Judge of the judicial administrative district; and
5. The Chief Justice of the Supreme Court.
C. Subject only to the rules, orders, and directives of the Supreme Court or the Chief Justice, the Presiding Judge shall have general administrative authority and supervision over all courts within the district and over all district court personnel serving in the judicial administrative district.
1. The Presiding Judge is authorized to direct the assignment, duties, and performance of district court personnel, to establish work schedules for district court personnel, and to make such other administrative directives as the Presiding Judge deems appropriate for effective and efficient management of the district court personnel within the judicial administrative district.
2. The Presiding Judge shall ensure that appropriate staff management and record keeping practices are in place for the district court personnel in the judicial administrative district.
3. The Presiding Judge shall be responsible for implementing and enforcing the administrative orders and directives of the Chief Justice and may issue such orders and directives necessary to assure adherence to statewide court objectives and policies.
D. The Chief Justice is authorized to issue such directives and orders as are necessary to exercise administrative and supervisory control over all district court personnel. The Chief Justice is authorized to appoint and fix the duties and compensation of such district court personnel, subject to legislative limitations, and to assign and direct the work of such district court personnel in performing the functions and accomplishing the purposes of the district courts.
E. The Chief Justice is authorized to issue such directives and orders as are necessary to manage the assignment, duties, and performance of district court personnel; to establish work schedules and other personnel policies applicable to district court personnel; to suspend, furlough or terminate individual district court personnel; and to make such other administrative directives as the Chief Justice deems appropriate for effective and efficient management of the district courts.
Rule 3. Assignment of Judges and District Court Personnel
A. The Presiding Judge shall have the authority to make temporary intradistrict assignment of any judge to service or duty with a court other than that for which the judge was selected or to which the judge was originally assigned. All orders of the Presiding Judge consigning judges to a court other than that which they are regularly serving shall be made only on showing of good cause. Temporary assignments within their own judicial district may be made by the Chief Judge or a district judge for a single case, for multiple cases, from one date to another fixed date, or for specified days of the week or of the month.
B. In all judicial districts other than Oklahoma County and Tulsa County, the Chief Judge shall have the authority to assign any judge or district court personnel serving in the judicial district to service in any court in the judicial district and may assign a judge or district court personnel to such locations within the judicial district as necessary to maintain balanced workloads or to efficiently perform the administration of justice in those courts. If there is no Chief Judge in the judicial district, then the district judge shall have the authority to make assignments pursuant to this paragraph. Such assignments, made by the Chief Judge or a district judge, shall be reported to the Presiding Judge and Chief Justice and are subject to the administrative oversight and control of the Presiding Judge and Chief Justice.
C. The Presiding Judge shall have the authority to assign any judge or district court personnel serving in the judicial administrative district to service in any court in the judicial administrative district and may assign a judge or district court personnel to such locations within the judicial administrative district as necessary to maintain balanced workloads or to efficiently perform the administration of justice in those courts. Such assignment is subject to the administrative oversight and control of the Chief Justice.
D. The Chief Justice shall have the authority to assign any judge or district court personnel serving in the State of Oklahoma to service in any district court in the state and may assign any judge or district court personnel to such locations within the state as the Chief Justice deems necessary to maintain balanced workloads or to bring about a more speedy and efficient administration of justice within the State.
Rule 4. Residence for Computing Mileage and Per Diem
For computing mileage and per diem, a special judge shall be deemed a resident judge of the district court of the county whose population authorized his or her appointment. For computing mileage and per diem, a court reporter or secretary-bailiff shall be deemed a resident of the district court of the county to which he or she is initially assigned by the Presiding Judge or Chief Justice.
Rule 5. Filing and Publication of Rules and Appointments of Presiding Judge
All appointments and rules made by the Presiding Judge shall be filed with the court clerk of every affected district court within the judicial administrative district. The rules of the Presiding Judge shall be published in the Oklahoma Bar Journal and on the Supreme Court website at oscn.net under the direction of the Chief Justice.
Orders of temporary assignment of judges and directives to the judges need not be filed in the office of the court clerk. The original shall be retained by the Presiding Judge, the Chief Judge, or the district judge making the assignment.
Rule 6. Assembly of Presiding Judges
The Chief Justice may direct the Presiding Judges to assemble at a designated time and place to discuss methods of improving the administration of justice or to adopt uniform rules for the administration of the judicial administrative districts.
Rule 7. Control and Supervision of Court Dockets
Subject only to the general superintending control and administrative authority of the Supreme Court and the Chief Justice and the supervisory and administrative authority of the Presiding Judge, the Chief Judge shall direct the assignment of cases to the judicial personnel serving the district courts within the district court judicial district of which he or she is in charge.
Any district judge may sit, without an assignment, on the district court of any county located within the district court judicial district for service in which he or she was selected. The district judge shall have plenary control and supervision of the court's docket.
Rule 8. Rules by Chief Judge
Except in Oklahoma County and Tulsa County and until such time as uniform district court rules are adopted, each Chief Judge of a district court judicial district shall have the power to adopt rules for the administration of the district courts of which he or she is in charge, which rules shall be consistent with those adopted by the Supreme Court and those of the Presiding Judge. Any rules shall be published in the Oklahoma Bar Journal and on the Supreme Court website at oscn.net under the direction of the Chief Justice. 
Rule 9. Judge Disqualification
A. When a judge of the Court of Civil Appeals shall recuse, disqualify, or be ordered disqualified from deciding a cause, the Chief Judge or Vice Chief Judge of that Court shall assign another Judge of the Court of Civil Appeals to the matter in substitution of the disqualified or recused Judge. When the Chief Judge and Vice Chief Judge are disqualified or recused in the matter, the Chief Justice, upon notification by the Chief Judge and Vice Chief Judge, shall assign to the matter another judicial officer of the state. Okla. Const., art. 7, §§ 6 and 8(i); 20 O.S.2001, § 30.3; and Okla.Sup.Ct.R. 1.175, 12 O.S.2001, ch. 2, app.

B. When a Justice of the Supreme Court or a Judge of the Court of Criminal Appeals shall disqualify from participating in a case, or a vacancy shall otherwise occur for any reason, the Chief Justice, when requested so to do by the affected Court, shall assign a judicial officer of the state to act as a Justice or Judge in that case. Okla. Const., art. 7, §§ 6 and 8(i).
C. If the Chief Justice shall disqualify from participating in a case, the Vice Chief Justice, if not disqualified, shall make the assignment prescribed by paragraph B hereof. If both the Chief Justice and the Vice Chief Justice should disqualify, then the justice with highest seniority in terms of service, who is not disqualified, shall make the assignment. If all the justices should disqualify in a case, then the Clerk of the Supreme Court shall certify the disqualifications to the Governor and the Chief Justice shall request that the Governor appoint qualified members of the bar to sit in the case as special justices. 20 O.S.2001, § 1402.

D. There shall be no communication about the case between a disqualified appellate judge or justice and the judicial officer assigned to succeed the disqualified justice or judge him in the case.
E. No judge of the district court who
1. is requested to disqualify,
2. has disqualified, or
3. has been ordered disqualified
in a case shall participate in the selection of another judge for assignment to that case. Any communication pertaining to the case between the disqualified judge and one who has been assigned to it shall be limited to ascertaining the identity of counsel in the case and the time estimated for its trial. Where no disqualification is sought or granted, this paragraph shall not operate to restrict the Chief Judge or the Presiding Judge in assigning or re-assigning cases, in regular order, on his or her own initiative or at the request of a district judge.
F. When a Chief Judge of the district court judicial district is disqualified in a case within the meaning of paragraph E, the Presiding Judge of the judicial administrative district shall select another judge for assignment to that case. When a Presiding Judge is disqualified in a case within the meaning of paragraph E, the Chief Justice shall select another judge for assignment to that case.
G. Neither the Chief Justice nor the Administrative Director of the Courts shall participate in the process of selecting a judge for assignment to a case in any court if either by statute or case law that official would be disqualified from sitting in that case as a judge. If the Chief Justice should disqualify from making an assignment to a case, the Vice Chief Justice, if not disqualified, shall make the assignment. If both the Chief Justice and the Vice Chief Justice should disqualify from making the assignment, then the justice with highest seniority in terms of service, who is not disqualified, shall make the assignment.
Rule 10. Noncompliance with Rules, Orders, or Directives
The district judges promptly shall report to the Presiding Judge any instance of noncompliance with their rules, orders, or directives either by associate district judges, special judges, or district court personnel serving within the district court judicial district. It shall be the duty of the Presiding Judge to resolve issues concerning the supervision or assignment of district court personnel, personnel policies, duties to be performed, or any other administrative matter in the judicial administrative district, subject to the administrative oversight and control of the Chief Justice. The Presiding Judge shall act in conformity with applicable statutes, rules, orders, and directives and shall make such decisions as are necessary for effective and efficient management of the district courts. If any administrative issue cannot be resolved by the Presiding Judge, it is the duty of the Presiding Judge to inform the Chief Justice.
Rule 11. Directives Declaring Location of District Court Sessions
From time to time the Supreme Court shall declare by a directive in what cities, other than the county seat, a district court or one of its divisions shall hold sessions. These directives shall be based on statistical reports collected through the office of the Administrative Director of the Courts. Until such directive is issued by the Supreme Court, nothing provided in this rule shall be construed to restrict the authority of the Presiding Judge, or of the district and associate district judges, to designate either by rule or directive that a district court, or one of its divisions, shall sit in a place other than the county seat. Rules or directives so made either by the Presiding Judge or by the district and associate district judges shall be based on statistical data. A copy of all such orders, rules, and directives and the data supporting them shall be filed in the office of the Administrative Director of the Courts. Appropriate notice of such declaration shall be given to the lawyers and to the public. 20 O.S.2001, § 95.1.

Rule 12. Statewide Assignment of District Court Judges and Personnel
The Chief Justice shall have the authority to make statewide assignment of any judge or district court personnel and to require such judge or personnel to perform their duties in any court in the state in order to efficiently perform the necessary work of the district courts.
Rule 13. Assembly of Judges within the Judicial Administrative District 
The Chief Justice may direct that all judges within a judicial administrative district assemble at a designated time and place to discuss the methods of improving the distribution of judicial business within the district or other matters calculated to bring about a better and more efficient administration of justice.
Rule 14. Jury and Nonjury Terms in Calendar Year, Disposition Dockets, and Motion Dockets
A. Upon order of the Chief Judge of the district court judicial district or the Presiding Judge of the judicial administrative district, the district court shall hold at least one jury and one nonjury term and at least one disposition docket in each county each calendar year. At the disposition docket, any action which is not at issue and in which no action has been taken for a year shall be dismissed as prescribed by 12 O.S.2001, § 1083, subject to the proviso contained therein.

B. Motions shall be heard in each county at least once every thirty days as prescribed by 20 O.S.2001, § 96.

C. It shall be the duty of the Presiding Judge to enforce these statutes and this rule.
Rule 15. Uniform Enforcement of Rules
Where two or more judges regularly hear cases in a county, by local court rule or other procedure, these rules should be uniformly enforced. The Chief Judge of the county is responsible for the uniform enforcement of these rules under the supervision of the Presiding Judge.