{"data":{"id":"us-ok/okla.-stat.-tit.-12-12-20","jurisdiction":"us-ok","citation":"Okla. Stat. tit. 12, § 12-20","heading":"Definitions","body":"A. As used in this section:\n\n1. \"Foreign law\" means any law, legal code, or system of a\n\njurisdiction outside of any state or territory of the United States,\n\nincluding, but not limited to, international organizations and\n\ntribunals, and applied by that jurisdiction's courts, administrative\n\nbodies, or other formal or informal tribunals. For the purposes of\n\nthis section, foreign law shall not mean, nor shall it include, any\n\nlaws of the federally recognized American Indian tribes or nations\n\nin this state or territory of the United States;\n\n2. \"Court\" means any court, board, administrative agency, or\n\nother adjudicative or enforcement authority of this state; and\n\n3. \"Religious organization\" means any church, seminary,\n\nsynagogue, temple, mosque, religious order, religious corporation,\n\nassociation, or society, whose identity is distinctive in terms of\n\ncommon religious creed, beliefs, doctrines, practices, or rituals,\n\nof any faith or denomination, including any organization qualifying\n\nas a church or religious organization under Section 501(c)(3) or\n\n501(d) of the United States Internal Revenue Code.\n\nB. Any court, arbitration, tribunal, or administrative agency\n\nruling or decision shall violate the public policy of this state and\n\nbe void and unenforceable if the court, arbitration, tribunal, or\n\nadministrative agency bases its rulings or decisions in the matter\n\nat issue in whole or in part on foreign law that would not grant the\n\nparties affected by the ruling or decision the same fundamental\n\nliberties, rights, and privileges granted under the United States\n\nand Oklahoma Constitutions, including but not limited to due\n\nprocess, freedom of religion, speech, or press, and any right of\n\nprivacy or marriage as specifically defined by the Constitution of\n\nthis state.\n\nC. A contract or contractual provision, if capable of\n\nsegregation, which provides for the choice of a foreign law to\n\ngovern some or all of the disputes between the parties shall violate\n\nthe public policy of this state and be void and unenforceable if the\n\nforeign law chosen includes or incorporates any substantive or\n\nprocedural law, as applied to the dispute at issue, that would not\n\ngrant the parties at least the same fundamental liberties, rights,\n\nand privileges granted under the United States and Oklahoma\n\nConstitutions, including but not limited to due process, freedom of\n\nreligion, speech, or press, and any right of privacy or marriage as\n\nspecifically defined by the Constitution of this state.\n\nD. 1. A contract or contractual provision, if capable of\n\nsegregation, which provides for a jurisdiction for purposes of\n\ngranting the courts or arbitration panels in personam jurisdiction\n\nover the parties to adjudicate any disputes between parties arising\n\nfrom the contract shall violate the public policy of this state and\n\nbe void and unenforceable if the jurisdiction chosen includes any\n\nforeign law as applied to the dispute at issue, that would not grant\n\nthe parties at least the same fundamental liberties, rights, and\n\nprivileges granted under the United States and Oklahoma\n\nConstitutions, including but not limited to due process, freedom of\n\nreligion, speech, or press, and any right of privacy or marriage as\n\nspecifically defined by the Constitution of this state.\n\n2. If a resident of this state, subject to personal\n\njurisdiction in this state, seeks to maintain litigation,\n\narbitration, agency or similarly binding proceedings in this state\n\nand if the courts of this state find that granting a claim of forum\n\nnon conveniens or a related claim violates or would likely lead to\n\nthe application of foreign law that would not grant a nonclaimant at\n\nleast the same fundamental liberties, rights, and privileges granted\n\nunder the United States and Oklahoma Constitutions, then it is the\n\npublic policy of this state that the claim shall be denied.\nif the courts of this state find that granting a claim of forum\n\nnon conveniens or a related claim violates or would likely lead to\n\nthe application of foreign law that would not grant a nonclaimant at\n\nleast the same fundamental liberties, rights, and privileges granted\n\nunder the United States and Oklahoma Constitutions, then it is the\n\npublic policy of this state that the claim shall be denied.\n\nE. This section shall not apply to any contract or agreement to\n\nwhich a corporation, partnership, limited liability company,\n\nbusiness association, or other legal entity binds itself.\n\nF. No court or arbitrator shall interpret this section to limit\n\nthe right of any person to the free exercise of religion as\n\nguaranteed by the First Amendment to the United States Constitution\n\nand by the Constitution of this state. No court shall interpret\n\nthis section to require or authorize any court to adjudicate, or\n\nprohibit any religious organization from adjudicating,\n\necclesiastical matters, including, but not limited to, the election,\n\nappointment, calling, discipline, dismissal, removal or\n\nexcommunication of a member, officer, official, priest, nun, monk,\n\npastor, rabbi, imam or member of the clergy, of the religious\n\norganization, or determination or interpretation of the doctrine of\n\nthe religious organization, where adjudication by a court would\n\nviolate the prohibition of the establishment clause of the First\n\nAmendment of the United States Constitution, or violate the\n\nConstitution of this state.\n\nG. This section shall not be interpreted by any court to\n\nconflict with any federal treaty including, but not limited to, any\n\ntreaty with any federally recognized American Indian tribe or\n\nnation, or other international agreement to which the United States\n\nis a party to the extent that such treaty or international agreement\n\npreempts or is superior to state law on the matter at issue.","path":["OK Code","Title 12"],"source_url":"https://www.oklegislature.gov/OK_Statutes/CompleteTitles/os12.pdf","current_through":"2026-08-14","vintage":"open-us-law v2026.08, retrieved 2026-09-14","retrieved_at":"2026-09-14T18:32:36Z","sha256":"5d542b66f6e66377ff1ea89ee0b4f281219f9bd4c9f5a0e4e78e79cae1e9008c","source_id":"us-ok","stale":false,"prev":"us-ok/okla.-stat.-tit.-12-12-2","next":"us-ok/okla.-stat.-tit.-12-12-2001"},"notice":"GroundRules: Original legal text. Not legal advice."}