Oklahoma

Who Gets the Lethal Injection? Drug Shortage Creates ‘Russian Roulette’ Scenario

A national shortage of sodium thiopental, one of three drugs commonly included in a lethal cocktail used to execute prison inmates on death row, has created a “Russian roulette” scenario in at least one state and could do so in 34 more, an expert says. Death Penalty Information Center Director…

Sep 28, 2010 7:36 PM CDT

Boy, 10, Faces Potential Jury Trial After Allegedly Throwing Punch in Schoolyard Fight

Reportedly urged by his father to stand up to a school bully, a 10-year-old boy allegedly threw a punch at the other Edmond, Okla., youngster. Now he is facing a potential jury trial in a misdemeanor assault and battery case, after the city attorney decided to pursue charges, reports KFOR.…

Sep 9, 2010 10:35 PM CDT

Lawyer Who Wore Wire to Build Case Against Claimed Client: ‘I Had to Do It’

Was attorney Terry Haddock acting as Shannon Williams’ lawyer during six months of jail visits in 2009? Or was Haddock, at least as Williams saw it, exploiting his attorney status to help his claimed client run a marijuana ring? That appears to be the central issue in a federal court…

Aug 20, 2010 8:35 PM CDT

Judge Tosses Okla. Bombing Conspirator’s Suit Over Prison Food

A federal judge in Denver has dismissed a lawsuit filed by Oklahoma bombing conspirator Terry Nichols that contends his prison diet is cruel and unusual and a violation of his religious rights. U.S. District Judge Christine Arguello ruled the food didn’t amount to cruel and unusual punishment, according to stories…

Aug 20, 2010 10:30 AM CDT

Judge Takes Court Docket Offline to Prevent Jurors From Accessing It During Trial

Concerned that jurors might improperly access public information from the online court docket, an Oklahoma judge ordered it taken down for the duration of the trial in a medical malpractice case. But a mistrial still resulted, because the jurors could not agree on a verdict, reports the Tulsa World. Tulsa…

May 4, 2010 10:04 PM CDT

ABA President: Ariz. Immigration Law Is ‘Draconian’ and ‘Likely Unconstitutional’

The president of the American Bar Association strongly criticized a controversial new Arizona immigration law in a written statement today. The law, which requires police to seek proof of an individual’s immigration status if they have a reasonable suspicion that the person is in the country illegally, is seen by…

Apr 30, 2010 10:54 PM CDT

Ex-GC of Oklahoma Bar Reprimanded for Alleged Groping Incident

The former general counsel of the Oklahoma State Bar has been reprimanded in connection with allegations that he groped and bit a woman in a suite at a racetrack and casino. Dan Murdock had entered an Alford plea to a reduced misdemeanor charge of outraging public indecency in the case…

Apr 7, 2010 4:59 PM CDT

Do Lawyers Have 1st Amendment Right to Interview Jurors? 10th Circuit Says Maybe

In a novel case sure to catch the attention of trial lawyers and researchers, the Denver-based 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals says that attorneys may have a First Amendment right to interview jurors involved in trials in which they did not participate. But the right may extend only to…

Feb 11, 2010 1:44 PM CST

10th Circuit Dismisses Libel Suit Against John Grisham

A federal appeals court has upheld the dismissal of a libel suit filed by an Oklahoma prosecutor and other state officials against best-selling author John Grisham. The Denver-based 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals said Grisham and other defendants were protected by an Oklahoma statute imposing high burdens on libel…

Feb 2, 2010 3:08 PM CST

Hat and Gloves Are Necessary Workplace Attire at Some Courthouses

The cold spell and aging courthouses are a bad combination. Temperatures dipped to 42 degrees last week at the District Attorney’s office in Okfuskee County, Okla., the Associated Press reports. Courthouse workers wore hats and gloves, and at least one judge closed his office on Thursday. The building, located 75…

Jan 14, 2010 6:59 PM CST

10th Circuit Chief Surprises Colleagues, Resigns to Head University

Robert H. Henry, chief judge of the Denver-based 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, stunned colleagues, friends and staff Thursday when he announced that he’ll give up his lifetime federal appointment to become head of Oklahoma City University. A Clinton appointee, Henry has been on the 10th Circuit for nearly…

Dec 11, 2009 1:20 PM CST

Cell Phone Company and Service Provider Sued for Fatal Car Accident

The daughter of a woman killed in a car accident caused by a driver talking on his cell phone has sued the phone maker and the service provider, contending they should have provided better warnings about the dangers of talking and driving. The plaintiff, Jennifer Smith, alleges that the cell…

Dec 7, 2009 2:19 PM CST

Judge Scolds Lawyers for Document Blizzard: ‘You Wouldn’t Do This to a Jury’

U.S. District Judge Gregory Frizzell has endured 25 days of testimony in Oklahama’s pollution case against the poultry industry, but it’s the blizzard of paperwork that is really fraying his nerves. On Thursday, the Tulsa judge scolded a group of about 30 lawyers in Oklahoma’s case for blanketing him with…

Nov 20, 2009 4:14 PM CST

2 Lawyers Charged in Claimed $1.1M Client Embezzlement Scheme

Two Oklahoma lawyers, one of whom is no longer licensed, have been accused of racketeering and conspiracy in an alleged $1.1 million client embezzlement scheme carried out over a five-year period. Fred Schraeder, 59, a Tulsa attorney and William Anton, 59, who surrendered his law license in 2007 but allegedly…

Nov 5, 2009 9:29 PM CST

County Officials Could Be Jailed If Convicted of Sunshine Law Violation

In an unusually stringent approach to the enforcement of open government laws, the Oklahoma provides for criminal penalties for those who don’t comply with statutory requirements that government decision-making be conducted in the sunshine. Now eight officials including the Okmulgee County sheriff and city police chief are defendants in a…

Oct 1, 2009 11:44 PM CDT