Vol. 3 No. 20 | May 17, 2023

Courts

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

Annual Meeting Survey Half Page
Appellate Practice Section Happy Hour 2023

More

Nominating petitions must be received at the bar center by 5 p.m. May 19, 2023.

When submitting a nominating petition, candidates should include a biography of 100 words or less and a photo (preferably both digital). For additional details and a sample bio format, you can email Mark Schneidewent.

In 2023 there will be elections for members in Districts 1 and 2. District 1 is composed of Creek and Tulsa counties. District 2 is composed of 17 counties in the eastern and northeastern parts of the state, as those congressional districts existed in 1967.

About the JNC:

The Judicial Nominating Commission (JNC) consists of 15 unpaid volunteer members. Of the 15 members, only six members are lawyers. Lawyer commissioners are elected by their fellow Oklahoma Bar Association members, each representing one of six congressional districts across the state, as they were in 1967 when the commission was established.* They each serve a 6-year term. Elections are held each odd-numbered year for members from two districts.

"In 1926, Jack T. Skinner stole 23 chickens. This was the first in a line of felonies for which Skinner pleaded guilty and that eventually led to his alleged categorization as a “habitual criminal” under the Oklahoma Habitual Criminal Sterilization Act of 1935. This law, argued by its author to be a nonpunitive civil statute, permitted forcible sterilization for individuals with three prior convictions of felonies involving moral turpitude. Sterilization, in the words of Skinner’s attorney, Claud Briggs, was 'the largest penalty that a red-blooded, virile young man could be required to pay.'

After serving time for stealing chickens, Skinner was released from the Oklahoma State Reformatory in Granite and thereafter committed two separate armed robberies in 1929 and 1934. While confined in the Oklahoma State Penitentiary in McAlester, the law permitting criminal sterilization went into effect under the signature of Gov. Ernest Whitworth Marland in 1935, taking such minor notice as to be buried on the 12th page of The Daily Oklahoman."

"I realized from a very early age that I was a fan of history. Not even true history all the time, but anything with a historical perspective. It began with a love of watching the History Channel with my dad and developed into reading historical works and historical fiction.

This passion caught the attention of my high school guidance counselor, who happened to really consider my college major opportunities. After much discussion, I decided to become a letters major with a minor in history and classics at OU. During this course of study, I focused on and sought out many ancient and medieval history courses, but one of my most impactful courses was on Oklahoma history. The course I took was taught by Dr. William Savage. I will never forget our first assignment: We read The Grapes of Wrath and his notebook, which was, in fact, an old photo album with handwritten lecture notes for his own point of reference. A textbook was provided, but the stories were where the learning was."

On Wednesday, May 10, new bar members took their Oath of Attorney at the Oklahoma State Capitol Supreme Court Ceremonial Court Room. The oath was administered by Chief Justice M. John Kane IV. These 55 new attorneys were among a group who passed the bar exam this past February. Following the swearing-in, individuals signed the Roll of Attorneys before joining their families in the Capitol rotunda for photos. The Oklahoma Bar Association is proud to welcome this group of new attorney members!

The 2023 Sovereignty Symposium will be held June 13-14 at the Skirvin Hilton Hotel in Oklahoma City. This year's keynote speaker will be Baroness Emma Nicholson of Winterbourne, who is a life peer and member of the House of Lords in the U.K. This is the 35th year for the event; the theme for this year's symposium is "Treaties."

Click below for information on the agenda, writing competitions, scholarships to attend and more.

The OBA Solo & Small Firm Conference welcomes Smokeball as a Gold Sponsor for this year's conference. This cloud-based legal practice management software empowers you to run your firm specific to your area of law. Smokeball’s platform provides resources such as automatic time tracking and invoicing, streamlined workflows for your specific practice area, an extensive library of more than 20,000 standard legal forms and documents, and actionable reports that summarize your firm’s activities and highlight areas of opportunity. Smokeball is also one of the OBA's newest member benefits!

Featured CLE

By Julie Bays, OBA Practice Management Advisor

Informed Delivery is a free service by the USPS (United States Postal Service) that enables users to preview images of their incoming letter-sized mail and receive notifications about scheduled packages. This feature can greatly benefit lawyers and businesses by streamlining mail management, enhancing security and improving organization.

Key Benefits for Lawyers and Businesses:

Enhanced Mail Security: Informed Delivery allows lawyers and businesses to monitor their mailboxes for potential mail theft or tampering, ensuring the security of sensitive information and documents.

Improved Organization and Time Management: By providing a preview of incoming mail and packages, lawyers can plan their day more efficiently and prioritize tasks based on the mail they are expecting.

Centralized Package Management: Informed Delivery consolidates all incoming packages in one location, simplifying the tracking process and ensuring important deliveries are not overlooked.

By leveraging the benefits of this service, lawyers and businesses can stay informed, organized and secure, making mail management a seamless part of their daily operations. Here is the link to set up your Informed Delivery: Informed Delivery – Mail & Package Notifications | USPS

The Oklahoma Bar Journal is a publication of the Oklahoma Bar Association. All rights reserved. Copyright© 2023 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.