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Judiciary seeks judicial pay parity, IT funding and final funding tranche for child-representation program
Summary
Supreme Court and Administrative Office of the Courts requested a full judicial salary adjustment tied to a 17% Board recommendation, IT investments, and final appropriations to complete a Family Representation and Advocacy Program (FRAP) that will reimburse and support legal services for deprived-child cases.
The Oklahoma Supreme Court and the Administrative Office of the Courts (AOC) presented budget requests that include judicial pay adjustments, technology investments and continued funding for a family-representation program enacted by the Legislature.
Chief Justice and AOC staff told the House Appropriations and Budget Committee they want to implement a judicial salary recommendation the state board issued in 2023 (a 17% adjustment) that was not fully funded in the last session; trial judges received a 7% increase in fiscal 2025 but appellate judges received none. AOC staff said the requested judicial pay adjustment is intended to maintain recruitment parity with other government employers and preserve experienced jurists.
AOC additionally requested information-technology investments: large one-time purchases and recurring refresh funding tied to an enterprise judicial IT program that supports courts and clerks statewide, plus a recurring rotation for desktop and server hardware and batteries for uninterruptible power. The AOC also asked to rejoin the National Center for State Courts to obtain technical guidance and peer services.
The AOC discussed FRAP, the Family Representation and Advocacy Program created in 2023 to ensure representation for children and indigent parents in deprived-child proceedings. The AOC said FRAP funds flow through to a 501(c)(3) grantee (Legal Aid Services) and that the program expects to reach a $16 million annual budget once fully implemented; AOC asked for an additional tranche in fiscal 2026 to complete the three-year buildout and make FRAP funding part of the base.
Judicial leaders emphasized that most AOC spending is salaries (about 97%) and that the courts tightly manage operations; they asked the committee to consider the long-term consequences of falling behind on technology, judicial compensation and representation for children in deprived proceedings.
