Oklahoma Code § 12-20

Title 12. Civil Procedure: Definitions
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A.  As used in this section:
1.  "Foreign law" means any law, legal code, or system of a
jurisdiction outside of any state or territory of the United States,
including, but not limited to, international organizations and
tribunals, and applied by that jurisdiction's courts, administrative
bodies, or other formal or informal tribunals.  For the purposes of
this section, foreign law shall not mean, nor shall it include, any
laws of the federally recognized American Indian tribes or nations
in this state or territory of the United States;
2.  "Court" means any court, board, administrative agency, or
other adjudicative or enforcement authority of this state; and
3.  "Religious organization" means any church, seminary,
synagogue, temple, mosque, religious order, religious corporation,
association, or society, whose identity is distinctive in terms of
common religious creed, beliefs, doctrines, practices, or rituals,
of any faith or denomination, including any organization qualifying
as a church or religious organization under Section 501(c)(3) or
501(d) of the United States Internal Revenue Code.
B.  Any court, arbitration, tribunal, or administrative agency
ruling or decision shall violate the public policy of this state and
be void and unenforceable if the court, arbitration, tribunal, or
administrative agency bases its rulings or decisions in the matter
at issue in whole or in part on foreign law that would not grant the
parties affected by the ruling or decision the same fundamental
liberties, rights, and privileges granted under the United States
and Oklahoma Constitutions, including but not limited to due
process, freedom of religion, speech, or press, and any right of
privacy or marriage as specifically defined by the Constitution of
this state.
C.  A contract or contractual provision, if capable of
segregation, which provides for the choice of a foreign law to
govern some or all of the disputes between the parties shall violate
the public policy of this state and be void and unenforceable if the
foreign law chosen includes or incorporates any substantive or
procedural law, as applied to the dispute at issue, that would not
grant the parties at least the same fundamental liberties, rights,
and privileges granted under the United States and Oklahoma

Constitutions, including but not limited to due process, freedom of
religion, speech, or press, and any right of privacy or marriage as
specifically defined by the Constitution of this state.
D.  1.  A contract or contractual provision, if capable of
segregation, which provides for a jurisdiction for purposes of
granting the courts or arbitration panels in personam jurisdiction
over the parties to adjudicate any disputes between parties arising
from the contract shall violate the public policy of this state and
be void and unenforceable if the jurisdiction chosen includes any
foreign law as applied to the dispute at issue, that would not grant
the parties at least the same fundamental liberties, rights, and
privileges granted under the United States and Oklahoma
Constitutions, including but not limited to due process, freedom of
religion, speech, or press, and any right of privacy or marriage as
specifically defined by the Constitution of this state.
2.  If a resident of this state, subject to personal
jurisdiction in this state, seeks to maintain litigation,
arbitration, agency or similarly binding proceedings in this state
and if the courts of this state find that granting a claim of forum
non conveniens or a related claim violates or would likely lead to
the application of foreign law that would not grant a nonclaimant at
least the same fundamental liberties, rights, and privileges granted
under the United States and Oklahoma Constitutions, then it is the
public policy of this state that the claim shall be denied.
E.  This section shall not apply to any contract or agreement to
which a corporation, partnership, limited liability company,
business association, or other legal entity binds itself.
F.  No court or arbitrator shall interpret this section to limit
the right of any person to the free exercise of religion as
guaranteed by the First Amendment to the United States Constitution
and by the Constitution of this state.  No court shall interpret
this section to require or authorize any court to adjudicate, or
prohibit any religious organization from adjudicating,
ecclesiastical matters, including, but not limited to, the election,
appointment, calling, discipline, dismissal, removal or
excommunication of a member, officer, official, priest, nun, monk,
pastor, rabbi, imam or member of the clergy, of the religious
organization, or determination or interpretation of the doctrine of
the religious organization, where adjudication by a court would
violate the prohibition of the establishment clause of the First
Amendment of the United States Constitution, or violate the
Constitution of this state.
G.  This section shall not be interpreted by any court to
conflict with any federal treaty including, but not limited to, any
treaty with any federally recognized American Indian tribe or
nation, or other international agreement to which the United States

is a party to the extent that such treaty or international agreement
preempts or is superior to state law on the matter at issue.

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