OKPOLICY.ORG
During contentious budget negotiations between the House and Senate at the end of the 2024 session, Gov. Kevin Stitt seized the opportunity to make a deal with legislators not to veto the general appropriations bill — if lawmakers agreed to several measures, including passing a framework to start “business courts,” an idea he had touted in his State of the State address at the beginning of the session.
Stitt’s primary budget interest has been flat budgets for his executive agencies so that growth in the economy can pay for tax cuts. Having been successful at leveraging his approval of the budget bill in 2024, the governor widened his efforts this year with several issues, and one of his demands was to fully implement the so-called business courts.
He seems to believe that if businesses have their own courts to settle their conflicts, they will view Oklahoma as a more “business-friendly state.” In a statement last year, Sitt said, “Businesses just want to know that their claims will be handled by a court familiar with relevant law. If we can do that, it’ll let the rest of the nation know that we mean business. We plan on making our state the top destination for companies looking for a consistent and thorough legal process.”
The salaries and support provided to business court judges in Senate Bill 632, which implements the business courts, emphasize the priority he’s giving to these limited-jurisdiction courts over district courts. The district courts manage all kinds of cases ranging from capital murder and contentious divorce cases to personal injury cases involving significant losses, as well as juvenile cases where decisions can make or break a child’s future.
District judges, who earn their jobs by being elected for four-year terms, are paid $156,732 annually. Business court judges, who will be appointed by the governor for eight-year terms, will receive a salary equivalent to an associate justice of the Oklahoma Supreme Court, which is currently $173,469 annually. Business court judges will have a full-time law clerk who is an attorney to help them with research and opinion writing, while district judges are left with a secretary-bailiff who is not a lawyer.
The Administrative Office of the Courts estimates a cost of $2 million to implement the business courts, plus extra costs for leasing, purchasing, or renovating a location. The business courts will be in Oklahoma and Tulsa Counties, but there is no available space at the courthouses or appeals court offices.
It remains to be seen whether an elitist, limited-jurisdiction court to handle business cases will measurably increase Oklahoma’s attractiveness to new businesses — or whether it’s just the flavor of the day. It may well be that an adequate investment in the state’s district courts — with professional help for judges and modern data and equipment support — would better contribute to Oklahoma’s overall justice system and make the state more attractive to business, as well as to ordinary citizens who find themselves in court.
