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Per-judge retention calls inside
The ballot
Oklahoma is one of two states with two courts of last resort. The Court of Criminal Appeals is the final stop for criminal appeals in Oklahoma — every death-penalty, conviction and sentencing appeal in the state ends there or in federal court. Its judges are appointed by the governor from Judicial Nominating Commission lists and face retention elections every six years: an uncontested yes-or-no question. A majority of YES votes retains. The election is November 3, 2026.
One judge is on the ballot: Robert Hudson (District 2). (Presiding Judge Gary Lumpkin's term also ends in January, but he is retiring effective January 1, 2027 and is not on the ballot.)
Oklahoma publishes no official performance evaluations. The record below is Hudson's documented career and the cycle's commentary — including the strongest substantive case made for any Oklahoma judge this year, made by a journal that opposes retaining one of his Supreme Court colleagues.
Judge Robert Hudson
- Appointed by: Governor Mary Fallin, March 2015, replacing Judge Charles Johnson. On the court eleven years.
- Before the court: A Guthrie native (Oklahoma State bachelor's, OU law). He practiced in Guthrie, then served as district attorney for Payne and Logan counties from 1996, twice named the state's Outstanding District Attorney; nearly ten years as a commissioner of the State Bureau of Investigation; First Assistant Attorney General in 2011; and a special judge from 2012 before elevation. That is a career spent on the prosecution and law-enforcement side of Oklahoma criminal justice, at every level the state has.
- The record the commentary cites: The Oklahoma State Capital journal — which recommends voting NO on Supreme Court Justice Darby in this cycle, so it is not a retain-everyone source — argues Hudson "should be retained" on substance: he "has written multiple majority opinions that have preserved the uniform rule of law" in the long unwinding of McGirt v. Oklahoma (2020), the U.S. Supreme Court decision that upended criminal jurisdiction across eastern Oklahoma, and in that role "has been vital in ensuring that government actually fulfills… criminal justice — the protection of one's God-given rights and liberties." Columnist Steve Fair likewise recommends retaining him. No commentator in our research recommends a NO vote.
- Dirt: None documented. Our research — court biographies, the Oklahoma Bar Association's Court Facts material as summarized in the cycle guides, and the retention commentary across the spectrum — surfaced no disciplinary record, no ethics finding, and no organized opposition.
OUR CALL
Our rule: Retain is the verdict for a judge with a serviceable documented record; removal requires proven cause — documented misconduct, proven activist judging that breaks faith with the law, or an evaluation failure. Hudson's file is the opposite of a removal case: a prosecutor's career, eleven years on the state's criminal court of last resort, and a documented body of majority opinions doing the unglamorous work of keeping criminal law uniform after McGirt — credited by name by commentators who are willing to vote other judges out.
Retain: Robert Hudson. Do not retain: none.
For the complete Election 2026 breakdown — every race, claim by claim — see the full coverage on our website. Vote early. Research your candidates. Choose the best moderates, whatever their party — no extremism from either side. And encourage your friends and family to do the same. --- Sources - GenXpletives, October 2026 — "Who else is on your Oklahoma ballot" (Hudson: appointed by Gov. Mary Fallin, March 2015; district attorney 1996–, twice Outstanding District Attorney; First Assistant AG 2011; OSBI commissioner) — https://genxpletives.substack.com/p/who-else-is-on-your-oklahoma-ballot - Oklahoma State Capital journal, October 2026 — Hudson retention case (McGirt-line majority opinions) — https://oklahomastatecapital.substack.com/p/the-november-ballot-no-one-is-talking - Oklahoma Policy Institute, 2026 — judges on the 2026 ballot (Hudson, District 2) — https://okpolicy.org/judges-ballot-oklahoma-need-know/ - OK Politics Today, October 2026 — "Before You Vote" (Presiding Judge Lumpkin retiring, not on the ballot) — https://okpoliticstoday.com/2026/10/before-you-vote-nine-oklahoma-judges-face-retention-decisions/ - Steve Fair, October 2026 — recommendations (retain Hudson) — http://stevefair.blogspot.com/2026/10/steves-recommendations-on-sqs-judges.html
Result pending. No verified call (Associated Press or official) as of November 4, 2026. This page will be updated when the race is called or certified. The original article above is unchanged.
AI-assisted article — but the sources are human, and the facts are very real.