Oklahoma Death Row Inmate's Case To Be Heard At U.S. Supreme Court This Week
Following the Oklahoma Court of Criminal Appeals’ decision last year to uphold death row inmate Richard Glossip’s conviction, his case will be heard before the U.S. Supreme Court on Wednesday.
Glossip was found guilty of murder-for-hire in the 1997 killing of motel owner Barry Van Treese. The man who killed Van Treese, Justin Sneed, was sentenced to life in prison after testifying against Glossip. Glossip was sentenced to death.
Glossip’s attorney, Don Knight, said the Supreme Court will first hear oral arguments over whether the case is under federal jurisdiction. After that, they will hear about a box of evidence that was first opened by current Oklahoma Attorney General Gentner Drummond.
Knight said the box contains notes indicating the prosecution knew Sneed was diagnosed with bipolar disorder and prescribed lithium after his arrest.
"If the one main witness against somebody has a bipolar disorder and it's so bad that there needs to be a prescription for lithium, which is a pretty powerful drug, the jury ought to know," Knight said.
The hearing is scheduled for the morning of Wednesday, Oct. 9.
New Leadership For Oklahoma Tourism and Recreation Department
The Oklahoma Tourism and Recreation Department has new leadership.
Gov. Kevin Stitt announced Thursday that longtime state employee Sterling Zearley will serve as the agency’s interim director.
Zearley already has 23 years of experience at the tourism department, where he started in 1984 as a building maintenance supervisor and ended as the department’s Northeast Regional Director in 2007.
Since then, he’s served as the Executive Director of the Oklahoma Public Employees Association.
Zearley is stepping in after tourism director Shelley Zumwalt recently announced her retirement.
Earlier this year, the State Auditor’s office found Zumwalt had failed to disclose conflicts of interest regarding millions of dollars paid to her husband’s company during her time at state agencies.
Zearley said he’s looking forward to leading the department, especially as Oklahoma prepares to celebrate the Route 66 Centennial in 2026 and host Olympic events in 2028.
State Rep. Warns License Plate Reading Tech Could Jeopardize Prosecutions, Citing Privacy Violations
A state representative says certain license plate reading tech used by local law enforcement could jeopardize viable criminal prosecutions. One Oklahoma District Court’s recent decision highlights the lawmaker’s concern.
Automated License Plate Recognition technology is an AI powered network of cameras constantly watching drivers in towns that use it, logging their identities, their locations and other private information.
It’s managed by Flock Safety, an Atlanta-based tech firm.
Local law enforcement agencies across Oklahoma use it as advertised: a force multiplier meant to collect data for later use as prosecutorial evidence.
Tom Gann is a Republican state representative from Inola. Gann and a District Court Judge in McClain County say ‘not so fast,’ citing violations state statutes surrounding privacy.
Gann says the “Orwellian” approach to policing could let criminals win out in court, as judges dismiss Automated License Plate Recognition evidence as moot.
Gann is hosting an interim study on the issue on Oct. 8 at 8 a.m. at the Oklahoma State Capitol.
Federal Lawmakers Miss Farm Bill Deadline Again
Federal lawmakers missed another Farm Bill deadline last month.
The omnibus farm bill governs many food and agricultural programs, and is up for renewal every five years.
The current version of the bill is from 2018 and expired last year. In November, Congress enacted a one-year extension that lasted through Sept. 30.
Some programs that multiple Oklahoma producers are in, such as crop insurance, do not expire, while others do. But many of those will still have funding through the end of the year.
Congress can pass a whole new farm bill, get an extension or let it expire, which would eventually allow some policy to revert back to the language that has been on the books since the 1930s and 1940s.
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