Upon the journal record required to be kept by the clerk of the district court in civil cases exclusive of the small claims docket and juvenile proceedings docket shall be entered copies of the following instruments on file:
§ 24.Journal Record - Instruments to Be Entered - Microfilm
Chapter 2: General Provisions · Last amended June 4, 2004 · Last verified August 3, 2026
In one sentenceSection 24 requires the civil journal record to include every instrument that gave the court jurisdiction over each defendant and every judge-signed order granting relief, and lets the clerk store the journal on microfilm or similar media and destroy the paper original once duplicates are safely archived.
Full Text of § 24
1. All items of process by which the court acquired jurisdiction of the person of each defendant in the case; and
2. All instruments filed in the case that bear the signature of the judge and specify clearly the relief granted or order made.
The journal may be kept entirely in microfilm, optical disks, or other appropriate medium. Existing journal records in the custody of the court clerk may be destroyed after being stored on at least two microfilm records, optical disks, or other appropriate medium, one of which shall be placed by the court clerk with the Archives and Records Division of the Oklahoma Department of Libraries, or in a bank or other appropriate local depository, and one shall be available for public use in the court clerk's office. In case of functional failure of the record in the court clerk's office the copy in storage shall be made available to anyone requesting access to it. The cost of the storage medium and equipment and for viewing and copying shall be paid out of the court fund upon approval by the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court. Copies of the journal record reproduced from microfilm, optical disk, and other media and copies of the original instruments that are part of the journal records, when certified by the court clerk having the custody of the original, may be received in evidence with the same effect as the original would have had and without further identification by the party desiring to offer them.
Amendment History
R.L. 1910, § 5324; Amended by Laws 1971, SB 268, c. 245, § 1, eff. 10/1/1971; Amended by Laws 1972, SB 436, c. 146, § 1, emerg. eff. 4/7/1972; Amended by Laws 2004, SB 1146, c. 447, §2, emerg. eff. 6/4/2004.
Plain-English Summary
Section 24 defines what belongs in the district court’s journal record for civil cases — leaving out the small claims and juvenile dockets, which keep their own records. Two categories of documents get copied into the journal: every piece of process by which the court gained jurisdiction over each defendant, and every judge-signed instrument that spells out the relief granted or the order made.
The clerk doesn’t have to keep the journal on paper. Section 24 allows the whole journal to live on microfilm, optical disk, or another medium, and lets the clerk destroy the original paper records once at least two copies exist — one filed with the Archives and Records Division of the Oklahoma Department of Libraries (or a bank or other local depository) and one kept in the clerk’s office for public use. If the office copy fails, the stored copy has to be made available on request. The court fund covers the cost of storage and copying, with the Chief Justice’s approval, and certified copies from microfilm or other media come into evidence with the same effect as the original, without further proof.
Frequently Asked Questions
What must be entered in an Oklahoma district court's journal record?
Section 24 requires the journal to include every item of process that gave the court jurisdiction over each defendant, and every judge-signed instrument stating the relief granted or order made, in civil cases outside small claims and juvenile dockets.
Can the court clerk destroy the original paper journal records?
Yes, once the records are stored on at least two copies of microfilm, optical disk, or similar media — one sent to the Oklahoma Department of Libraries’ Archives and Records Division or a local depository, and one kept available in the clerk’s office.
Is a microfilm copy of a journal record admissible in court?
Yes. Section 24 says certified copies of the journal record reproduced from microfilm, optical disk, or other media come into evidence with the same effect as the original, without further identification.
Who pays for microfilming and storing court journal records?
Section 24 directs that the cost of the storage medium, equipment, and viewing and copying be paid out of the court fund, subject to approval by the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court.
Source & verification. Section text is reproduced verbatim from
Title 12 of the Oklahoma Statutes, enacted by the Oklahoma Legislature.
Last verified August 3, 2026.
· Official source
Also known as: oklahoma journal record requirementscourt records microfilm destructioncertified copy court records evidencejournal record civil case instruments