Okla. Code Jud. Conduct R. 4.4

• (A) A judicial candidate subject to public election may establish a campaign committee to manage and conduct a campaign for the candidate, subject to the provisions of this Code. The candidate is responsible for ensuring that his or her campaign committee complies with applicable provisions of this Code and other applicable law.

• (B) A judicial candidate subject to public election shall direct his or her campaign committee:

• (1) to solicit and accept only such campaign contributions as are permitted by law. Rule 2.11(4).

• (2) not to solicit or accept contributions for a candidate's current campaign more than 180 days before the beginning of the filing period for the judicial election. nor more than 60 days after the last election in which the candidate participated; and

• (3) Candidates for judicial office subject to public elections shall direct their campaign committees to comply with all applicable statutory requirements for disclosure of campaign contributions, and to file with the Oklahoma Ethics Commission at the time and in the manner specified by the Commission a report stating the name, address, occupation, and employer of each person who has made campaign contributions to the committee in an aggregate value exceeding the amount established by the Oklahoma Ethics Commission for reporting campaign contributions.

• (4) Candidates for judicial office subject to public election shall comply with the rules of the Oklahoma Ethics Commission concerning the dissolution of the candidate's campaign committee and the use of surplus funds of the campaign as set out in Title 74 Oklahoma Statutes Chapter 62, Appendix to Article 257, Sections 10-1-19 and 10-1-20, except that a candidate may not transfer funds to be used for a political activity other than his or her own future election campaign as permitted by the Rules of the Ethics Commission and may not transfer any surplus funds to a state or local central committee of a political party.

COMMENT

[1] Judicial candidates are prohibited from personally soliciting campaign contributions or personally accepting campaign contributions. See Rule 4.1(A)(8). This Rule recognizes that in many jurisdictions, judicial candidates must raise campaign funds to support their candidacies, and permits candidates, other than candidates for appointive judicial office, to establish campaign committees to solicit and accept reasonable financial contributions or in-kind contributions. See Comment 2 under Rule 4.3.

[2] Campaign committees may solicit and accept campaign contributions, manage the expenditure of campaign funds, and generally conduct campaigns. Candidates are responsible for compliance with the requirements of Rules of the Ethics Commission, election law and other applicable law, and for the activities of their campaign committees.

[3] At the start of a campaign, the candidate must instruct the campaign committee to solicit or accept only such contributions as are in conformity with the Rules of the Ethics Commission and other applicable law.