Posts in Constitutional Law
Oklahoma Enacts Automatic Expungement Law

On May 2, 2022, Oklahoma Governor Stitt signed into law a comprehensive process making expungement automatic for all otherwise eligible misdemeanors and a range of non-conviction records. The Oklahoman reported that the “clean slate” bill passed the House and Senate with strong bipartisan support, with a combined five votes against, and it was promptly signed into law by Oklahoma’s Republican governor.

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Plea Bargaining Power: A One-Way Road

In 2012, the Supreme Court of the United States wrote that “plea bargaining…is not some adjunct to the criminal justice system; it is the criminal justice system.” There needs to be commonsense guidelines surrounding the negotiation process that ensure both sides have all of the relevant and necessary information in order to make the most informed and justified decision.

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House Bill 2876 Seeks to End Capital Punishment in Oklahoma

House Bill 2876 represents a bold proposal seeking to address the disturbing realities and inequity of capital punishment. HB 2876 will be assigned for a committee hearing in February but with little to no support from Gov. Kevin Stitt, this effort is sure to find many obstacles along the way.

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Federal Executions Halted Over 'Potentially Unlawful' Procedure

On Wednesday, District Judge Tanya S. Chutkan of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia halted Attorney General William Barr’s July proposal seeking to resume the imposition of the death penalty after a 16-year moratorium at the federal level.

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