Governor Brad Henry To Select 2 New Justices To The State's Highest Court

News9.com

OKLAHOMA CITY -- There are nine justices on the Oklahoma Supreme Court and with the death of one justice on Monday and the retirement of another, Governor Brad Henry is expected to name his recommendations soon.

So who are the front runners who could potentially change the future of Oklahoma?

Tuesday morning, News 9 talked with political analyst Scott Mitchell on who the potential nominees are.

Supreme Court Justice Marian Opala died at the age of 89 on Monday and Justice Rudolph Hargrave announced his retirement in September.

Scott Mitchell says two men, Judge Robert Bell and Jim Priest are potential replacements for Justice Opala and Judge Douglas Combs is a potential replacement for Justice Hargrave.

Justices are appointed by the Governor from the list of candidates presented by the Judicial Nominating Commission.

Applicants for appointment to the Supreme Court are subjected to extensive investigation by the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation and to intensive interviews by the Judicial Nominating Commission.