Last week, the Oklahoma Judicial Commission unveiled its three finalists to fill the Oklahoma Supreme Court seat vacated by Justice Yvonne Kauger, who resigned following a successful campaign by the OCPA, MAGA Right, and other Christian Nationalists to boot her from the bench.
The three names now go to Governor Stitt, who must pick one.
At first glance, there doesn’t seem to be much of a difference between the three candidates—they’re all white, all hail from the badlands of rural western Oklahoma, and all look like they’d be really, really boring at parties.
The key difference?
Two of the finalists – District Judge Donna Dirickson and District Judge Jon Parsley – have relevant judicial experience and have demonstrated an ability to run a courtroom. They’ve also been honored by their peers for promoting “integrity, learning, competence and public service.”
Meanwhile, the third nominee – Travis “Doogie” Jett – has never served as a judge, lacks any meaningful judicial experience, and appears to be nothing more than a right-wing ideological plant with a law degree and more red flags than a Call Okie line locator.
Take, for example, his professional headshot.
Much like Ryan Walters’s infamous early days Glamour Shot, Jett's pic tries way too hard to make him look sweet, innocent, and like the kind of guy who’d never do something outrageous—like attempt to dismantle public education or help sabotage Oklahoma government from the inside through voluntary incompetence and insubordination.
What the hell.
I’m not saying our judges should look like Dave Bautista, but they should at least look tougher than a Boy Scout usher at an OU football game.
Seriously, I thought the new GOP was the party of Kid Rock, Joe Rogan, and Pete Hegseth – not some twerp who looks like he starred as the bad guy in a Young Sheldon episode about student council elections.
Jett’s youthful, soft appearance isn’t the only red flag.
Another goes to the extensive legal work he’s done for the Oklahoma Council of Public Affairs (OCPA) – the ultra-right-wing “think tank” that led the charge to unseat Justice Kauger and now wants to reshape the Oklahoma Supreme Court into a partisan institution focused on imposing and protecting conservative ideology—rather than fairly interpreting laws or following legal precedent.
Jett has represented the group of pariahs in multiple failed attempts to keep state questions off the ballot. Because, you know, nothing screams “freedom and democracy” like trying to block the people’s constitutionally protected (for now) right to craft and create laws via the petition process.
In 2016, Jett fought—unsuccessfully—to keep State Question 779 off the ballot. Then he tried again in 2020 with SQ 802.
In that case, which had to do with Medicaid expansion, his legal arguments were so weak the court basically ignored him without explanation:
OCPA also told the court that adding expanding Medicaid through the state constitution, rather than through statute, would strip the legislature of its spending power, making it unconstitutional.
“Placing this right in the constitution transfers power from the state of Oklahoma to the federal government,” argued OCPA attorney Travis Jett. “The federal government gets to choose who is actually eligible for this program by setting the federal poverty level. Also Congress dictates how much Oklahoma actually pays by setting the federal matching level.”
Medicaid expansion would provide an estimated $900 million a year in federal money and cost the state over $100 million.
In a brief ruling, Chief Justice Noma D. Gurich said, “We believe the language of the gist is clear.” The ruling denied OCPA’s constitutionality arguments without explanation.
Let’s give the OCPA some credit here.
If you can’t win before the Oklahoma Supreme Court based on legal arguments, I guess you might as well stack the court with partisan hacks who represented you in court, adhere to the same warped ideology, and are more focused on imposing a strict ultra-conservative agenda than fairly and accurately interpreting the laws set forth in the constitution.
As I mentioned, the work Jett has done for the OCPA is the biggest strike against his campaign to serve as a Supreme Court Justice.
There are others.
First of all, his last name is Jett, and he does kind of resemble Oklahoma numbskull politician Shane Jett.
I have no clue if Shane and Travis are brothers, cousins, or brother-cousins, but they do look alike. Who knows. Maybe one side effect of right-wing psychosis is that it makes everyone look like one of the McCain Brothers—a dated local reference that, if you get it, is kind of funny.
Second, his middle name is “Verl.” When you’re a letter or two away from sharing a name with Ernest P. Worrell’s best friend, there are some issues.
Ultimately, out of all the red flags against Jett, I’d say the biggest one is a picture that I stumbled across online. Take a look, and when you do, pay attention to the logo on the shirt. It looks like a gun, shooting a bullet through a crescent moon, that then explodes into a heart.
Uhm, can some scholar who studies conservative Evangelical hieroglyphics please interpret that for us? I spent hours searching through a Hobby Lobby catalog and couldn’t find that logo on a wall ornament anywhere!
Here's a closer look:
Seriously, what is that thing? The Jett family crest? Officially licensed “God’s Misfits” apparel? Something they handed out at a militia-themed Valentine’s Day retreat?
Whatever it is, I think we can safely assume what shirt Jett will be wearing under his judge’s robe.
“Patrick! Stitt hasn’t even named his final selection yet! I’m sure the Governor will go with the most qualified choice.”
Unfortunately for Oklahoma, the main qualifications Stitt seems to be looking for in a Supreme Court justice are a deep hatred of government and an eagerness to chip away at that pesky wall separating church and state.
Based on who Jett associates with—and who he represents—it sure looks like he’s the guy for that job.
Stay with The Lost Ogle. We’ll keep you advised.
