Law Enforcement & Legal
Okla Supreme Court affirms abortion ruling
Written by Dick Pryor Thursday, 04 March 2010 17:36
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) - The Oklahoma Supreme Court has affirmed a lower court ruling that a bill imposing several restrictions on abortion is unconstitutional.
The Supreme Court issued a ruling late Tuesday that the measure violated a constitutional requirement that bills deal only with one subject. The bill would have required women receiving an abortion to have an ultrasound and listen to her doctor describe the image and regulated the use of RU-486, among other things.
In its unanimous decision, the state's highest court wrote they are "growing weary of admonishing the Legislature for so flagrantly violating the terms of the Oklahoma Constitution." State lawmakers already have crafted several separate bills this session that include the provisions that were struck down.
State asks appeals court to reconsider decision
Written by Dick Pryor Thursday, 04 March 2010 17:32
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) - Attorneys for the state are asking the full 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals to reconsider a Feb. 2 decision overturning parts of the state's immigration law. The law sought to subject businesses that hire illegal immigrants to financial penalties, dictate who can and cannot be fired and require contractors to withhold taxes for workers without proper documentation.
A portion of the law requiring public contractors to use an Internet-based system of employment authorization was upheld. State attorneys argue in a legal filing that the ruling is inconsistent with other rulings by the 10th Circuit Court of Appeals and by the U.S. Supreme Court. The law was challenged by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and several business groups.
Supreme Court declines new 10 Commandments fight
Written by Dick Pryor Monday, 01 March 2010 23:20
WASHINGTON (AP) - The Supreme Court has declined to get involved in a new dispute over a Ten Commandments display on public property. The justices on Monday left in place a lower court decision that a Ten Commandments marker in Haskell County, Okla., must go. The 8-foot-tall stone monument has been on the county courthouse lawn in Stigler, Okla., since 2004.
A federal appeals court ruled last year that it amounts to an unconstitutional endorsement of religion by the county commission. In 2005, the high court said in two cases that determining whether the Ten Commandments could be displayed on government property was a case-by-case affair.
Trooper fires shot at man after traffic stop
Written by Dick Pryor Wednesday, 24 February 2010 23:39
TULSA, Okla. (AP) - The Oklahoma Highway Patrol says a trooper is on administrative leave after shooting and wounding a man during an altercation that followed a traffic stop in Tulsa. Troopers say a 2-year-old child was in the car at the time of the shooting early Wednesday but was not injured. No names were released. The child was placed in state custody. Lt. George Brown says the trooper had stopped the man for driving with a defective tail light when the two began fighting. Brown says the trooper fired twice and hit the man once in the leg. The man is hospitalized with a non-life threatening injury.
Judge rules Oklahoma abortion law unconstitutional
Written by Dick Pryor Friday, 19 February 2010 23:07
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) - An Oklahoma County judge has ruled that an abortion law is unconstitutional. District Judge Daniel Owens said Friday that the measure dealt with multiple subjects and violated the Oklahoma Constitution's ban on such legislation. The measure would bar abortions on the basis of the fetus' gender. It also would require women seeking abortions to fill out a survey that asks about race, education and their reasons for seeking the procedure.
Owens says he found the notion of sex-selective abortions "uncivilized," but found the other aspects of the bill were not related to that underlying purpose. Special Assistant Attorney General Teresa Collett says she will have to consult with regulatory bodies named in the lawsuit before deciding whether to appeal Owens' decision. Plaintiff Lora Davis says she's delighted with the ruling.