Vol. 6 No. 14 | April 8, 2026
Courts
Supreme Court of Oklahoma
Court of Criminal Appeals
No published opinions this week.
Court of Civil Appeals
No published opinions this week.
Dispositions Other than by Published Opinions
The Supreme Court of Oklahoma Court Calendar
The Supreme Court of Oklahoma is in session year round, unless otherwise noted. The court regularly schedules conferences on Mondays and other days as needed.
Member Transitions
More
From the Executive Director | Why the 2026 Midyear Conference Matters
"In the legal profession, the pace rarely slows. Court dockets remain full, clients’ needs continue to evolve, and the demands on lawyers’ time seem to increase each year. Amid that busy landscape, it can sometimes be difficult to justify stepping away from the office for a conference. Yet one of the strongest takeaways from recent bar leadership discussions around the country is that gathering together, with intention and in person, remains one of the most valuable investments lawyers can make in their profession.
That is precisely why the upcoming OBA Midyear Conference, set for June 17-19 at the OKANA Resort and Indoor Waterpark in Oklahoma City, is so important. It is more than a meeting. It is an opportunity to reconnect with the broader legal community, engage with emerging issues in the profession, and help shape the direction of the bar."
U.S. Magistrate Judge Jason Robertson To Speak at Midyear Conference
The OBA welcomes Judge Jason Robertson, U.S. Magistrate Judge for the Eastern District of Oklahoma, as a featured speaker at the OBA Midyear Conference. He will speak during a plenary session on Friday, June 19, on "Ethics of AI: Optional Technology, Mandatory Integrity."
An Oklahoma native and former trial attorney, Judge Robertson brings more than 25 years of criminal and civil trial experience to the federal bench. Appointed in 2022, he presides over one of the largest civil consent dockets and one of the most active criminal dockets in the country. He also serves as an adjunct professor at the TU College of Law and frequently speaks on legal ethics, courtroom practice and the evolving role of technology in the legal profession.
We hope you will join us to hear Judge Robertson and many other knowledgeable speakers during this year's conference, held June 17-19 at the OKANA Resort! There are scholarships available to cover the cost of registration, including meals and events, sponsored by the Oklahoma Bar Foundation.
From the April Bar Journal | Business Courts: A New Era for Oklahoma Commercial Litigation?
"In the search for economic development, many states have turned to specialized business courts. These courts are thought to deliver judgments more quickly and predictably than courts of general jurisdiction. That should result in lower costs and reduced transaction risks for business owners and managers, thus creating a more favorable commercial environment. With the Oklahoma Legislature’s passage and the governor’s signing of Senate Bill 632 (SB 632) in 2025, Oklahoma sought to add business courts to its list of economic development tools. SB 632 would create specialized business courts as divisions of the Oklahoma and Tulsa County district courts and task those courts with hearing specific types of actions involving business issues."
IOLTA Grant Application Period Now Open | Apply by June 1
The application period for Oklahoma Bar Foundation IOLTA grants is now open! IOLTA grants are awarded to nonprofit organizations for program funding to provide legal services, law-related education and activities that improve the administration of justice. The deadline to apply is June 1.
Academy of Classical Christian Studies 'Team Goodness' Wins State Mock Trial
Two teams representing the Academy of Classical Christian Studies in Oklahoma City earned the honor of competing in this year’s Oklahoma High School Mock Trial Championship. The teams met for the final round of competition on March 3 in Tulsa at the Page Belcher Federal Building and U.S. Court for the Northern District of Oklahoma. The high school’s “Team Goodness,” in its role as plaintiff, defeated “Team Beauty,” in the role of defendant, in the fictional case of “Tony Shapiro v. Blackstone Insurance Company.” Team Goodness will now advance to represent Oklahoma at the National High School Mock Trial Tournament in Des Moines, Iowa, in May.
Celebrate Law Day! Submit Your County Bar Law Day Information
The national and statewide celebration of Law Day is Friday, May 1. The OBA Law Day Committee encourages every county bar to join our efforts and plan its own Law Day events – whether it’s coordinating student visits to the courthouse or giving free legal advice for at least one hour. The goodwill generated for the profession by offering this community service makes the effort worthwhile, regardless of the number of activities or calls received.
If your county will be answering calls as part of Ask A Lawyer, please take a moment today to provide your Ask A Lawyer information, including the phone number, using this short form.
Featured CLE
Understanding Discovery’s Transformation in Courtrooms
By OBA Management Assistance Program Director Julie Bays
If you’ve been practicing for a while, you’ve likely noticed that discovery is starting to look a little different.
That shift is not accidental.
The Oklahoma Discovery Code already builds in the concept of proportionality. Discovery must be tailored to the needs of the case, taking into account things like the amount in controversy, the parties’ resources and whether the burden outweighs the benefit.
But what we are seeing now is something more than just a rule on paper. Courts are actively reinforcing it. Recent guidance from the Oklahoma Supreme Court makes clear that discovery is not unlimited, and judges are expected to limit requests that are cumulative, duplicative or overly burdensome. Chick-fil-A v. The Honorable Richard Ogden and Lozada, et al. 2026 OK 13.
Justin Lollman recently highlighted this ruling and what it means for discovery practice. You can read his discussion here.
And that message is not unique to Oklahoma.
At ABA TECHSHOW this year, two judges addressed this issue directly. Their advice to lawyers was refreshingly practical: Do some eDiscovery before you begin fighting about it. You can read a summary here.
The takeaway from all of this is the same: Understand your data first.
Too often, lawyers launch into discovery disputes without knowing what actually exists, where it is located or how difficult it will be to retrieve. That leads to unnecessary motions, increased costs and delays that do not serve the client or the court.
Discovery is no longer about asking for everything and sorting it out later. It is about being intentional from the start.
That has some real implications for your practice:
- Before drafting requests, take time to understand the likely sources of information.
- Think about what actually matters to your claims or defenses.
- Be prepared to explain why your requests are proportional to the case.
It also means rethinking some long-standing habits.
Boilerplate discovery requests and “just in case” approaches are becoming harder to justify. Courts are increasingly willing to limit discovery that is not focused or that creates unnecessary burden. The better approach is to front-load your effort. Learn the data, narrow the issues, then draft discovery that reflects that work.
Technology can help here. Whether you are using case management systems, document review tools or even AI to help identify key issues, the goal is the same: more informed and more efficient discovery.
Better discovery is smarter, earlier and more intentional.
The Oklahoma Bar Journal is a publication of the Oklahoma Bar Association. All rights reserved. Copyright© 2026 Oklahoma Bar Association. Statements or opinions expressed herein are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect those of the Oklahoma Bar Association, its officers, Board of Governors, Board of Editors or staff. Although advertising copy is reviewed, no endorsement of any product or service offered by any advertisement is intended or implied by publication. Advertisers are solely responsible for the content of their ads, and the OBA reserves the right to edit or reject any advertising copy for any reason. Legal articles carried in the Oklahoma Bar Journal are selected by the Board of Editors. Information about submissions can be found at www.okbar.org.