Volume 2 No. 11 | March 16, 2022

Courts

SUPREME COURT TO HEAR CHALLENGE TO U.S. SENATE SPECIAL ELECTION

Chief Justice Richard Darby announced that the challenge filed in No. 120,253, styled Stephen Jones, Petitioner, vs. Paul Ziriax, Secretary of the Oklahoma State Election Board, Respondent, will be heard by the Court en banc on Wednesday, March 23, 2022, at 1:30 p.m., in the Courtroom of the Supreme Court on the second floor of the State Capitol. The original action challenges the setting of the special election to fill the vacancy created by the retirement of United States Senator Jim Inhofe.

The Oklahoma State Court Network (OSCN) website will provide a link for the oral argument that will be available March 23.

Gov. Kevin Stitt announced his appointment of Judge William J. Musseman Jr. to the Court of Criminal Appeals on March 4.

Prior to his appointment, Judge Musseman was serving as a district judge for Oklahoma’s 14th District, covering Tulsa County, beginning in 2011.

Judge Musseman graduated from the OU College of Law in 1997. Upon graduating, he began working as an assistant district attorney through 2009. During that time, he spent two years as a special assistant United States Attorney. He became a special district judge for the family and domestic division in 2007, before transitioning to become district judge.

He fills the unexpired term of Judge Dana Lynn Kuehn, who was appointed as a Justice to the Oklahoma Supreme Court.

Read the Order of Appointment. 

 

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.

Advertisement

More

Watch the Video and Take the Survey

The Oklahoma Bar Association Board of Governors requests your input as an important part of a process to update the OBA’s strategic plan. All members were sent an email on March 10 with a request to complete a brief, anonymous survey through an independent organization. The survey seeks to collect information about the constituency of the membership, your experiences with the OBA and your ideas on how the association can better serve you. The survey should take five minutes to complete. The survey is conducted by the Oklahoma Center for Nonprofits so that all answers will remain anonymous. The survey will remain open through March 25.

If you need the survey emailed to you again, please contact Debbie Brink.  

After a two-year pandemic break, the OBA Legislative Monitoring Committee will have an in-person Day at the Capitol event on Tues., March 22. The morning session will be held in Emerson Hall at the Oklahoma Bar Center with speakers including (OBA members' names highlighted):

  • Jim Hicks, OBA President
  • Miles Pringle, Legislative Monitoring Committee Chair and OBA Vice President
  • Jari Askins, Administrative Director of the Courts
  • Thad Balkman, Cleveland County District Judge
  • Trevor S. Pemberton, General Counsel, Governor's Office
  • Dick Pryor and Shawn Ashley of Quorum Call
  • Randy Grau, Chief Legal Officer, Citizens Bank of Edmond

Between the morning session and the afternoon walk over to the Capitol, there will be lunch! If you plan to come, please contact Alisha Davidson to RSVP now to ensure there will be food for all attendees.

 

The March Oklahoma Bar Journal focuses on the impact of McGirt v. Oklahoma. One of the theme articles is by Conor P. Cleary.

From the article: Under the Major Crimes Act, the federal government has jurisdiction exclusive of the states to prosecute a series of enumerated “major” crimes committed by Indians within “the Indian country.” As the statute’s terms make clear, a threshold question that must be answered is whether the crime occurred in “Indian country.”

Read the article by clicking here, or for a digital reading experience, try the new interactive version of the magazine that debuted with the March issue.

Oklahoma Corporation Commission to Debut New Electronic Case Filing

The Oklahoma Corporation Commission will start Electronic Case Filing on Mon., March 21. All who file cases with OCC should register on the new portal beginning Monday and watch for instructions on the OCC website later this week. Training and demonstrations are in the works in conjunction with the OBA CLE Department for attorneys who file at the OCC on energy, transportation and utility matters.

Developed specifically for legal professionals, LawPay allows you to easily and securely accept credit, debit, and e-Check payments from anywhere. Our proprietary technology prevents commingling of earned and unearned funds and protects your trust account against third-party debiting—ensuring compliance with ABA and IOLTA guidelines. As a proud member benefit, LawPay wants to help you take charge of your payments (and your day)! Sign up for LawPay by March 31 to receive a wireless charging notebook and three months of no monthly program fees. Get started >>

By Jim Calloway, OBA Management Assistance Program director

Fastcase, the legal research service provided by the OBA to Oklahoma lawyers, has added some federal court data analytics to its standard service.

This new feature is the first to be released incorporating features from Fastcase’s 2020 acquisition of Judicata, a California-based legal research platform.

Your attention is directed to the post In Major Platform Update, Fastcase Adds Analytics Tracking Motion Grants and Timelines in Federal Courts that explains the new service. For a sample of how the data is used, visit New Attorney Sanctions Analytics Reveals Litigation Risks. Timelines incorporate some very nice features.

A Fastcase spokesperson said the company intends to expand these analytics to state courts. Click here for free Fastcase training. To access your bar-provided Fastcase service, log in through the MYOKBar link at the top of the OBA website.