Oklahoma judicial news

From Judgepedia

News about or affecting the judiciary in Oklahoma.

Wilkinson seeks Major County judgeship

Enid, Oklahoma: James A. “Jim” Wilkinson is running for the position of associate district judge of Major County (Oklahoma District 4). He previously served in this position from 1974 to 1994.^[1]

Judge Sprouse seeks associate district judge position

Oklahoma: Judge Dennis M. Sprouse, special district court judge for Sequoyah County (District 15), plans to seek a position as associate district judge on this court. He is running for the position that is being vacated by Judge A.J. Henshaw later this year.^[1]

Eight applicants seeking Court of Criminal Appeals judgeship

Oklahoma: Eight applicants are hoping to replace the retired Judge Charles Chapel on the Oklahoma Court of Criminal Appeals. They are: Clancy Smith, Mark Barcus, J. Dwayne Steidley, Sheldon Sperling, Tony Haynie, Eric Lair, Douglas Kirkley and Becky Baird. The Oklahoma Judicial Nominating Commission will choose a list of finalists for Gov. Henry, who will appoint the new judge.^[1]

Eagleton and Wescott seek special judgeships

Tulsa, Oklahoma: Two members of the Tulsa City Council, John Eagleton and Rick Westcott, have announced that they will apply for Tulsa County District Court (District 14) special judges. The District Court judges will elect two people to fill the vacancies this spring. Eagleton and Westcott are currently attorneys.^[1]

Oklahoma County judge plans to retire as her husband joins the race for Governor

Oklahoma: Carol Ann Hubbard plans to retire from Oklahoma District 7 on March 1, 2010. Her husband, Robert Hubbard, plans to run for Governor now that she is retiring from her judgeship. Since judges are supposed to be nonpolitical, he explained he did not want to "interfere with her vocation in life" by running for Governor earlier.^[1]

Oklahoma Court of Criminal Appeals judge plans to retire

Oklahoma: Judge Charles Chapel of the Oklahoma Court of Criminal Appeals plans to retire from the court on February 28, 2010. He has served on this court since January of 1993. After retirement, he will work part-time with the law firm Riggs, Abney, Neal, Turpen, Lewis & Orbison, which he helped found.^[1]

Robert Henry leaves 10th Circuit to become President of Oklahoma City University

Oklahoma City, Oklahoma - Tenth Circuit Chief Judge Robert Henry will step down from his position to become the new President of Oklahoma City University effective on July 1, 2010.

Henry was one of 53 candidates for the position. The judge previously worked at the University as the Dean of Oklahoma City Law School from 1991 to 1994. In 1994, Henry was nominated by Bill Clinton to Tenth Circuit. ^[1]

Hetherington appointed to Oklahoma Court of Civil Appeals

Oklahoma: Democratic Governor Brad Henry has appointed William Hetherington to the Oklahoma Court of Civil Appeals. Henry said of the appointment: "William Hetherington has the intellect, integrity and temperament that will make him ideal for the Court of Civil Appeals. It is my pleasure to make this appointment to the bench." ^[1]

Hetherington earned his undergraduate degree from the University of Oklahoma in 1970 and his law degree from Oklahoma City University in 1979. Prior to his appointment to the Court of Civil Appeals, Hetherington had been a judge on the Cleveland County District Court since 1992. He served as a special district judge and was in private practice before that. Judge Hetherington is married with three children. ^[1] Hetherington succeeds Glenn Adams on the court, who retired as of September of 2009. ^[2]

Oklahoma Supreme Court rules against release of case records

Oklahoma: On October 8, 2009, the Oklahoma Supreme Court modified their procedures for the release of the records of case information, in an attempt to bar the bulk release of case information.

The Court, which has historically maintained an online list of all criminal and civil court rulings through the Oklahoma Supreme Court Network and the On Demand Court Records websites, established a new internal rule which will prevent the disclosure of "all or a significant subset of electronic case information". The rule comes in response to a request from a business for all the Supreme Court records, which would have cost the business between $20,000 to $40,000 for the Courts to produce it. The court claims that the rule was made through consultation with the Oklahoma Open Records Act and the policies of supreme courts in other states. They also claimed that the rule was in compliance with current open records legislation and would not prevent future compliance. The rule also allowed the Supreme Court to contract out the online access of all state judicial proceedings to a private company. ^[1]

Judge throws out initiative petition in Oklahoma

TULSA, Oklahoma: An Oklahoma judge ruled on August 24, 2009 that a petition hoping to implement nonpartisan city elections was invalid because not enough signatures were collected. Judge Jefferson Sellers stated that the Tulsa City Clerk’s Office used a wrong election to set the number of required signatures.

City Councilor John Eagleton stated that the petition was miscalculated because election officials used general election requirements where all qualified voters in Tulsa had a chance to cast ballots. According to Eagleton: "I took an oath to defend the city charter, which I thought was being assailed by an unlawfully approved ballot proposition." Tulsans for Better Government, the group who turned in the petition, gathered 6,994 signatures, a lot more than the 3,427 signatures that were previously needed before the ruling.^[1]

Revamp of medical malpractice rules

Oklahoma: A ruling altering the procedures pertaining to medical malpractice suits has been issued in Oklahoma. The changes include the reinstatement pretrial certificates of merit and a limit set on all but the most egregious pain-and-suffering damages.

"Certificates of merit are affidavits from medical experts attesting to the validity of a plaintiff's charges before a case goes to trial." The Oklahoma Supreme Court threw out a similar requirement several years ago because it applied only to medical malpractice. The new ruling applies to any case of professional negligence.

The bill also caps payments for paid and suffering at $400,000 in most situations. A judge or jury would be permitted to exceed the cap in cases of extreme negligence or injuries. ^[1]

State House passes bill on workers comp judges

"The Oklahoma House of Representatives voted Thursday to make workers compensation court judges subject to Senate approval, a move intended to limit gubernatorial influence on the appointments." (4/2/09)

Tulsa World, "Ex-judge who used sex device in court disbarred", Sept 23, 2008

The Oklahoma Supreme Court on Tuesday disbarred former Creek County District Judge Donald D. Thompson.

Former DA to go on trial for Embezzlement (6/2/08)

Jury selection is to begin in Okmulgee in the embezzlement trial of former District Attorney Richard Gray of Wagoner. In the trial starting Monday Gray is charged with embezzling nearly $9,000 that his office's drug task force had seized during drug raids.

Secrecy rules carry Oklahoma Supreme Court to 'black hole' (3/18/2008)

Torts and Coffee: Senate Co-President and Republicans will push for lawsuit reform, and a whole lot more (1/23/2008)

Judge cuts prison term in city murder

There is likely only a thin line between a life sentence and life without parole for a 43-year-old convicted killer, but it was the last straw for Oklahoma County District Attorney David Prater. Prater was not pleased Tuesday after District Judge Kenneth Watson opted to change Billy Earl Parker's sentence to life in prison. Life without parole had been imposed by the jury that convicted Parker of murder in February 2007. "Modifying this sentence from life without parole to life is an absolute miscarriage of justice,” Prater said. "The judge has now circumvented the jury process.”

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