Legislation seeks to raise standards for Oklahoma judges

OKLAHOMA CITY – State Rep. Jason Lowe, a Democrat and a criminal defense attorney from Oklahoma City, filed legislation for the upcoming legislative session that seeks to protect and restore faith in the Oklahoma justice system. 

House Bill 3746, the Judge Timothy Henderson Act, would forbid judges from having a sexual relationship with a lawyer who is representing a client in the courtroom assigned to the judge. 

Any judge who violates the proposed law could be imprisoned for up to two years and fined up to $100,000.

The Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigations is investigating former Oklahoma County District Judge Timothy Henderson, whom the proposed bill is named after, is accused of sleeping with lawyers who had appeared in his court.

The judge has since resigned his position. However, Henderson has maintained that any relationships were consensual

“The people of Oklahoma have an expectation for how their public servants should act,” Lowe said. “This legislation helps ensure that the decisions being made by a judge are driven by the facts of the case and not a relationship with an attorney.” 

Establishing a clear line for expectations helps both the people of Oklahoma and judges.

“As most of us know, the appearance of impropriety is often as damaging as the impropriety itself,” Lowe said. “This is a proactive approach to protect public trust by holding public servants accountable.”