Tulsa Attorney BlogCategory: Oklahoma Courts

19 Articles:

• Washington Co. Judge Faces Suspension, Removal on Misconduct Allegations

  By staff, August 7th, 2018

  Oklahoma Supreme Court Alleges “Oppression in Office” Whispered complaints about a Washington County judge’s misconduct toward defendants and attorneys appearing in his court have swirled for months. Now, things are spilling into the light. Washington County District Judge Curtis DeLapp has been notified of a proposed temporary suspension by the Oklahoma Court on the Judiciary’s […]

• Will Tulsa Jury Trial Delays Cause Oklahoma Speedy Trial Violations?

  By James M. Wirth, Esq., June 10th, 2016

  Tulsa County court officials have announced jury trials will be suspended for two full months during the summer of 2016. The court cut two jury weeks from the schedule on either side of judge’s regular July summer vacation time after state officials announced a $1.3 billion budget shortfall. Delays in jury trial schedules pose questions about potential speedy trial violations.

• Oklahoma Supreme Court Again Trumps Court of Criminal Appeals

  By James M. Wirth, Esq., December 16th, 2015

  Jurisdictional conflict erupted again in Oklahoma’s bifurcated court system when the top civil court ruled in a matter emerging from a criminal case. The matter involved how deadlines are computed when a litigant appeals a motion to disqualify a judge.

• Police Officers Arrested in Oklahoma More Often Than You Might Think

  By James M. Wirth, Esq., October 1st, 2015

  Tulsa County Sheriff Stanley Glanz is one of more than a dozen Oklahoma law enforcement officers charged with crimes in 2015. Other officers were charged with assault and battery against suspects, sex crimes involving minors and drunken driving. A Tulsa criminal defense attorney compiled this list.

• Appeals Court Details Oklahoma Rules of Statutory Construction

  By James M. Wirth, Esq., May 18th, 2015

  Tulsa law firms can use the Court of Criminal Appeals decision in State ex rel Pruitt v Steidley as a handy cheat sheet for rules of statutory construction, Oklahoma style. The court summarized Oklahoma case law as it applies to interpreting statutes that otherwise might lead to contrary or ambiguous conclusions.

• Oklahoma Appeals Court Does U-Turn on Tailgating Law

  By James M. Wirth, Esq., May 5th, 2015

  An Oklahoma Court of Criminal Appeals tailgating opinion gives police a basis to stop almost any driver on suspicion of following too closely. The opinion is an abrupt reversal of an opposite decision just 19 months earlier that had said a two-second rule for following too closely does not provide police an objective basis for reasonable suspicion. A Tulsa traffic ticket lawyer explains…

• Former Rogers County Commissioner Charged With 2011 Embezzlement

  By James M. Wirth, Esq., April 27th, 2015

  The former Rogers County Commissioner who filed a libel suit against critics over a petition that asked a grand jury to investigate embezzlement allegations has been charged with embezzlement. A Claremore detective who circulated the petition was among those who first investigated the embezzlement allegations — two years before the citizens’ petition sought a grand jury investigation.

• Did an Oklahoma Court Authorize Traffic Stops on Anonymous Tips?

  By James M. Wirth, Esq., February 18th, 2015

  Can a police officer stop a vehicle based on an anonymous tip, then use evidence from the traffic stop to build a criminal case? The U.S. Supreme Court recently said yes, sometimes.

• Oklahoma Court Erodes Confrontation Clause Shield Against Hearsay

  By James M. Wirth, Esq., February 4th, 2015

  An Oklahoma court has decided a defendant does not have the right to confront authors of a list that tracks cold pill purchases used as evidence in criminal trials. The decision chips away at a constitutional protection known as the confrontation clause. The confrontation clauses of the Oklahoma Constitution and United States Constitution alike afford […]

• Rogers County Sheriff, Other Officials Remain Mired in Controversies

  By James M. Wirth, Esq., July 29th, 2014

  Intrigue among Rogers County officials just never seems to fade away. One might think a landslide defeat in which incumbent District Attorney Janice Steidley received a meager 13 percent of votes in the Republican primary race would have dampened allegations and counter allegations. Not so. The widely circulated allegations of 2013 sprang up around claims […]