Oklahoma Courts
Master Traffic Citations: Legal Tips for Speedy Resolutions
Do you have a traffic citation and aren't sure what to do next? My name is Carl Birkhead, an attorney at Wirth Law Office in Tulsa, Oklahoma, and I'm here to help simplify the legal process for you. Navigating the municipal court system can be time-consuming, with large dockets that often move slowly. After hiring our office, we'll guide you through the process, including getting added to the docket and exploring options for dismissal or plea negotiations. Whether you need assistance with a traffic ticket or more complex issues, feel free to reach out. Let me help you make law easy. Read more »Washington Co. Judge Faces Suspension, Removal on Misconduct Allegations
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 […] Read more »Will Tulsa Jury Trial Delays Cause Oklahoma Speedy Trial Violations?
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. Read more »Oklahoma Supreme Court Again Trumps Court of Criminal Appeals
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. Read more »Police Officers Arrested in Oklahoma More Often Than You Might Think
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. Read more »Appeals Court Details Oklahoma Rules of Statutory Construction
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. Read more »Oklahoma Appeals Court Does U-Turn on Tailgating Law
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... Read more »Former Rogers County Commissioner Charged With 2011 Embezzlement
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. Read more »Did an Oklahoma Court Authorize Traffic Stops on Anonymous Tips?
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. Read more »Oklahoma Court Erodes Confrontation Clause Shield Against Hearsay
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 […] Read more »Rogers County Sheriff, Other Officials Remain Mired in Controversies
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 […] Read more »Rogers County Cops and Courts Controversies Timeline
Wirth Law Office compiled a timeline of Rogers County controversies that include allegations of lying by police, a grand jury investigation of the DA, public officials libel lawsuits against other officials and the local newspaper, and the landslide electoral defeat of the Rogers County District Attorney. Read more »Oklahoma Supreme Court Cancels Online Court Records Contract
Some Internet data transfer speeds now approach the speed of light. Data transfer in Oklahoma courts is not nearly so fast.
Oklahoma courts' efforts to provide online access to statewide court records were moving at a snail's pace event before they came to a full stop on June 9, 2014. Read more »Oklahoma Courts: How to Save Text Messages for Legal Purposes
The spread of smartphone technology has dramatically increased the frequency with which people use text messages for legal purposes in Oklahoma civil cases and criminal trials. Yet litigants who need to show the contents of text messages in court can face several hurdles. The simplest hurdle is often merely preserving the contents of text messages. […] Read more »Lawyer Represents Rogers County DA in Official and Private Lawsuits
The money trail in a merry-go-round of lawsuits among Rogers County officials gives new meaning to the adage “What comes around, goes around.” Take a look at the Tulsa attorney representing the Rogers County District Attorney and two assistants in their libel lawsuit against the Rogers County Sheriff, a Claremore detective, the father of a […] Read more »How to Petition for a Grand Jury in Oklahoma
Oklahoma is among at least six states that allow citizens to petition courts to empanel a grand jury that may investigate allegations of crimes. In Oklahoma, the citizens right is enshrined in the state constitution’s Bill of Rights. Like most rights, the right to petition for a grand jury in Oklahoma comes with some obligations. […] Read more »Rogers County DA: 'I'm Little Ashamed of Some Law Enforcement'
Cue the famous clang – “cha Chung!” – from the ever-popular TV series Law & Order. During the program’s 20-year run, police and prosecutors frequently clashed over competing interests. Cops sometimes wanted to make cases at any cost. Prosecutors wanted cases that withstood legal review. The ongoing clash in Rogers County, Oklahoma between police and […] Read more »
Rogers County Sheriff Seeks Grand Jury Investigation of Rogers County District Attorney
A war of words raging among elected officials in Rogers County by way of court filings and public allegations has escalated again. This time, the Rogers County Sheriff and five others filed an unusual motion to authorize a citizens’ petition for a grand jury investigation into allegations against the Rogers County District Attorney, three assistant […] Read more »
Rogers County District Attorney Election Promises Long, Lively Campaign
The 2014 Rogers County District Attorney election promises to be among the more intriguing local elections we’ve seen lately. We have already seen a cop suing the DA, the DA suing a newspaper and a judge seeking election to the DA’s office fired – at a meeting reportedly called by a relative of the current […] Read more »
Confidential Juvenile Records 'Strewn' Around Rogers County Courthouse
The idea that juveniles should be treated differently under the law predates the origins of U.S. jurisprudence. Juvenile justice has changed significantly since it was originally shaped by English common law but a significant precept of juvenile justice has long been that juveniles in the system are afforded a degree of privacy. Juvenile courts nationwide […] Read more »
