Oklahoma § 20-125 - Office of secretary-bailiff - Creation - Appointment Compensation and salary - Number - Retirement and other benefits –

§ 20-125. Office of secretary-bailiff - Creation - Appointment Compensation and salary - Number - Retirement and other benefits –

CLEET-certified.

A. In all counties of the state there is created the office of

secretary-bailiff for district judges and associate district judges,

and a secretary-bailiff for business court judges, with each such

secretary-bailiff to be appointed by order of the district judge,

associate district judge, or business court judge to serve at the

will of the appointing judge. The Chief Justice of the Supreme

Court shall approve by administrative directive the number and

assignments of secretary-bailiffs in all counties of the state.

Each secretary-bailiff shall be paid a salary pursuant to the salary

schedule established by the annual appropriation for the district

courts and in accordance with the job description for the position

to which appointed. For fiscal year 2023 and each fiscal year

thereafter, each secretary-bailiff shall receive an annual salary of

Forty-two Thousand Dollars ($42,000.00). In each business court

division, the business court judge may appoint a law clerk, who

shall be an attorney licensed or eligible to become licensed to

practice law in this state, to serve at the will of the appointing

judge with an annual salary to be set by the Chief Justice. In

every county of the state each district judge and each associate

district judge, including business court judges in counties with a

business court division, may by order appoint additional necessary

Oklahoma Statutes - Title 20. Courts

court personnel subject to the approval of the Chief Justice. A

part-time bailiff shall be paid out of the court fund of the county

where appointed at the rate set by administrative directive for each

hour that such person actually attends the court and performs

services, or a pro rata fraction thereof for less than an hour of

service. Notwithstanding any other provision of law, each district

judge and associate district judge may contract with the sheriff of

the county to allow a deputy sheriff to provide bailiff service to

the court.

B. With the approval of the presiding judge, a special judge

may appoint a secretary-bailiff or other personnel in accordance

with the administrative order of the Chief Justice.

C. No judge shall engage more than one full-time secretarybailiff at any given time except only during the progress of a jury

trial, when a part-time bailiff may be engaged subject to the

approval of the Chief Justice. In the latter event, no more than

one additional bailiff shall be engaged to take charge of the jury.

The costs of meals and lodging of bailiffs ordered to keep a jury

together during the process of a trial or after the jury retires for

deliberation shall be lawfully paid from the court fund.

D. A district judge who sits regularly in more than one county

may employ only one full-time secretary-bailiff in the judicial

district of the judge, and in any other county of the district the

judge may engage a bailiff only on a part-time basis when such judge

sits in the county as a judge pursuant to the procedures set forth

by the Chief Justice in the administrative directive. The cost of

the operation of the office of a district judge of a multi-county

judicial district, including the purchase of equipment and supplies,

may be apportioned among the counties of that judicial district, or

appropriate division of that district, based upon the percentage of

revenue collected by the courts of the district.

E. The Administrative Director of the Courts shall develop and

promulgate job descriptions, salary schedules and time-keeping forms

for part-time bailiff personnel. The Chief Justice of the Supreme

Court, through the Office of the Administrative Director of the

Courts, shall promulgate rules for the compensation for overtime for

all secretary-bailiff and part-time bailiff personnel employed.

F. Persons employed by a county that does not meet the

requirements of Section 951 of Title 19 of the Oklahoma Statutes,

and who serve as full-time secretary-bailiffs or full-time bailiffs

shall be eligible to participate in the state retirement system and

state insurance programs and any other benefits as are provided to

state employees in the unclassified service. All part-time bailiff

personnel shall be compensated by the local court fund.

G. On October 1, 1989, the position of full-time bailiff shall

be redesignated as the position of secretary-bailiff in accordance

with the job descriptions, salary schedules, and procedures approved

Oklahoma Statutes - Title 20. Courts

by the Chief Justice. Additional secretary-bailiff positions shall

be created as funding and employee positions are available.

Counties shall be allowed to provide additional support personnel to

the judges sitting in such counties to the extent that funding is

available.

H. Any secretary-bailiff who is certified by the Council on Law

Enforcement Education and Training (CLEET) as a basic peace officer

shall have and exercise all the powers and authority of a peace

officer. The Office of the Administrative Director of the Courts

shall promulgate rules which prescribe the duties for all CLEETcertified secretary-bailiffs. The provisions of this subsection

will not entitle a CLEET-certified secretary-bailiff to participate

in the Oklahoma Police Pension and Retirement System.

Added by Laws 1945, p. 91, § 1, emerg. eff. March 7, 1945. Amended

by Laws 1949, p. 191, § 1, emerg. eff. March 2, 1949; Laws 1953, p.

83, § 1, emerg. eff. April 8, 1953; Laws 1957, p. 125, § 1, emerg.

eff. April 23, 1957; Laws 1959, p. 103, § 1, emerg. eff. July 15,

1959; Laws 1965, c. 239, § 1, emerg. eff. June 17, 1965; Laws 1969,

c. 219, § 1, emerg. eff. April 21, 1969; Laws 1971, c. 309, § 1,

emerg. eff. June 24, 1971. Renumbered from § 552 of Title 19 by

Laws 1971, c. 309, § 3, emerg. eff. June 24, 1971. Amended by Laws

1974, c. 150, § 1, emerg. eff. May 3, 1974; Laws 1975, c. 8, § 1;

Laws 1976, c. 260, § 1, operative July 1, 1976; Laws 1979, c. 230, §

6, eff. July 1, 1979; Laws 1980, c. 280, § 7, eff. July 1, 1980;

Laws 1981, c. 240, § 3, eff. July 1, 1981; Laws 1982, c. 362, § 1,

emerg. eff. July 14, 1982; Laws 1985, c. 237, § 2, operative Aug. 1,

1985; Laws 1989, c. 275, § 1, eff. Oct. 1, 1989; Laws 2003, c. 153,

§ 1, eff. Nov. 1, 2003; Laws 2005, c. 289, § 1, eff. Nov. 1, 2005;

Laws 2022, c. 271, § 2, eff. July 1, 2022; Laws 2025, c. 316, § 4,

eff. Sept. 1, 2025.