The Oklahoma State Capital

November's election results may have paved the way for a Logan County resident to ascend to the state's Supreme Court.

Two Logan County residents are among the applicants for the open state Supreme Court seat being vacated by outgoing Justice Yvonne Kauger. Kauger, originally appointed to the court in 1984, made history as the first justice in state history to be unseated by voters during the 2024 election cycle.

A total of fourteen individuals have applied for the position through the state's Judicial Nominating Commission (JNC). The commission will narrow the list to three finalists and submit them to Oklahoma Governor Kevin Stitt, who will make the final selection.

Among the fourteen applicants, two are from Logan County.

Luke Duel, the longtime Logan County associate district judge, has submitted his application for the position. Duel has served in that role since 2010, working out of the Logan County Courthouse. He was recently passed over by Stitt for the open District 9 judicial seat—the most significant position in the Logan/Payne County judicial district. Instead, Stitt appointed Jason Reese, a former counsel to the governor and a longtime Republican activist and politician. Reese, who previously lived in The Village until his appointment, has since relocated to Guthrie.

Also applying for the Supreme Court seat is Mithun Mansinghani, a South Logan County resident known for his tenure as Oklahoma’s solicitor general. Mansinghani represented Oklahoma before the U.S. Supreme Court in the landmark McGirt case and has argued numerous cases before the state Supreme Court. He left his role in 2022 and is now in private practice. He has frequently spoken at events hosted by the conservative Federalist Society.

According to a release issued by the JNC, the commission’s secretive process for reviewing applicants is now underway. Since the JNC's deliberations are conducted behind closed doors, members of the public will not be able to attend the Duel or Mansinghani interviews.

The selection process, by which applicants are narrowed down, has been a source of significant controversy. During last year's legislative session, the Oklahoma Council on Public Affairs (OCPA) and a prominent pro-life group led an effort to grant the governor full authority to select a nominee without requiring JNC approval.

OCPA criticized the JNC for operating in secrecy and argued that because several JNC board members are appointed by the state’s bar association, the commission’s recommendations could be biased toward left-leaning judicial views. OCPA's reform proposal suggested replacing the JNC appointment model with the U.S. Constitution’s system for federal judicial appointments.

However, the legislature ultimately rejected OCPA’s proposal, Senate Joint Resolution 34, with the measure failing on the House floor despite having previously passed in the State Senate.

Representative Collin Duel, nephew of applicant Luke Duel and the representative for House District 31—which includes much of Guthrie—joined a coalition of Democrats and moderate Republicans to defeat the proposal. Fellow Logan County legislative delegation member John Talley, from House District 33, also opposed the measure. Talley was later defeated by challenger Molly Jenkins, who cited his vote on the measure as evidence that he was out of step with local values.

MORE: Judicial Shocker: Stitt Sidesteps Local Candidates for Outsider Appointment.