"Why are we not surprised that President Barack Obama has (a) apparently chosen not to follow long-standing tradition and nominate an Oklahoman to the U.S. 10th Circuit Court of Appeals and (b) has left our state’s congressional delegation and others out of the loop?

The Tulsa World reported Sunday that Obama is considering one of his pals, Keith Harper, to succeed Robert Henry on the 10th Circuit. Henry has stepped down from that post in order to become president of Oklahoma City University.

He has served on the court nearly 16 years. He succeeded another Oklahoman when he was first appointed. In fact there have been two Oklahomans on the circuit court for decades, just as it’s the custom for the other five states that comprise the circuit to have jurists from their states.

Harper, who lives and works in Washington, D.C., has few, if any, ties to our state other than the fact he’s a member of the Cherokee Nation. Contrast that with Henry, who grew up in Shawnee, attended the University of Oklahoma, and served in the Legislature and as attorney general.

Maybe Obama is just thumbing his nose at our state, which did the same to him in November 2008 when Obama failed to carry a single county. You’d hate to think the president of the United States would be so petty, but who knows?"

Get the Story:
Editorial: Obama's snub of Oklahoma must not go unchallenged (The Oklahoman 5/25)

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