HB 4226 Oklahoma House · 2026 Regular Session

Courts; disqualification of judges; motion; directing chief judge of the county; presiding judge of administrative district; rehearing; effective date.

HB 4226 changes Oklahoma court procedures for requesting a judge's disqualification. It requires parties in a case to first ask the judge directly to step aside in private (in camera), and if denied, file a formal motion within 10 days before trial. The judge must rule on the motion within 15 days, and denied motions can be appealed to the chief judge (or presiding judge if the chief is involved) within 5 days for a ruling within 30 days. This process affects anyone involved in court cases who believes a judge should recuse themselves, adding clear timelines to the disqualification request system. The bill takes effect November 1, 2026.
Bill status signed all 5 stages cleared
Introduction
Feb 2026
Committee Review
Apr 2026
House Passage
Mar 2026
Senate Passage
Apr 2026
Signed into Law
May 2026
Introduced Feb 2, 2026 Signed May 7, 2026
Maddy AI version diff · 4 comparisons

What changed between versions

Floor (House) Floor (Senate) · 6 edits
MODERATE
The bill was revised to transition from the House version to the Senate floor version, incorporating specific amendments to the disqualification process for judges. The changes clarify that parties can request a judge's disqualification in camera and establish a ten-day window to file a written motion if the judge denies the request. Additionally, the committee oversight responsibility was updated to include Public Safety.
Scope change
The bill's scope regarding judicial disqualification procedures was modified to include specific timelines for filing motions and reviewing denials, while the committee oversight scope was expanded.
REQUIREMENT

Added a requirement for parties to first request disqualification in camera before filing a formal written motion.

TIMELINE

Established a ten-day deadline for filing a disqualification motion after a judge denies the request.

Set a fifteen-day limit for judges to rule on disqualification motions.

Defined a five-day window for filing applications for rehearing after an adverse ruling.

ENFORCEMENT

Specified that parties may apply for a writ of mandamus to compel a judge to disqualify themselves after an adverse rehearing ruling.

DEFINITION

Updated the committee oversight designation to include the Committee on Public Safety.

Floor votes · Senate Apr 29, 2026 · House Mar 11, 2026

How they voted

460
Passed · 4 other
Total votes 50
Apr 29, 2026
D Democratic9
9 Yea
100% Yea
R Republican41
37 Yea 4
90% Yea
Vote distribution
All Yea All Nay Mixed No data
Full legislative history

Actions timeline

Total actions
23
Key actions
7
Committee
6
Apr 29, 2026
Committee
Referred for enrollment
lower
Apr 29, 2026
Upper · Passed
Engrossed measure signed, returned to House
upper
Apr 29, 2026
Upper · Passed
Measure passed: Ayes: 44 Nays: 0
upper
Apr 14, 2026
Upper · Passed
Reported Do Pass Judiciary committee; CR filed
upper
Mar 12, 2026
Introduced
First Reading
upper
Mar 12, 2026
Lower · Passed
Engrossed, signed, to Senate
lower
Mar 11, 2026
Committee
Referred for engrossment
lower
Mar 11, 2026
Lower · Passed
Third Reading, Measure passed: Ayes: 90 Nays: 0
lower
Feb 26, 2026
Lower · Passed
CR; Do Pass Judiciary and Public Safety Oversight Committee
lower
Feb 5, 2026
Lower · Passed
Policy recommendation to the Judiciary and Public Safety Oversight committee; Do Pass Civil Judiciary
lower
Feb 3, 2026
Committee
Referred to Civil Judiciary
lower
Feb 2, 2026
Introduced
First Reading
lower
2 primary · 0 co-sponsors

Sponsors