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Niemi appointed Boynton municipal judge, despite controversy
September 27, 2010
Boynton, Oklahoma: The Town Council of Boynton, Oklahoma has appointed Bruce Niemi municipal judge and acting town administrator. There was some controversy about whether Niemi was eligible for the position, since he is a resident of Tulsa. State law allows small municipalities to appoint judges who reside in an "adjacent county". Some at the town meeting where Niemi was appointed voiced concern, pointing out that Muskogee County, where Boynton is located, does not "touch" Tulsa County, where Niemi lives. Niemi said that the rule is up for interpretation. "Nobody has ever defined what adjacent is,” he said. The newly-appointed judge has already sought other candidates for the judgeship through his Facebook page, stating, "The Muskogee Co. DA advised I’m ineligible to serve since Tulsa Co. is not adjacent — that is, it’s separated from Muskogee Co. by a 5 mile stretch of Wagoner Co. around Stone Bluff...If you’re interested let me know & I’ll hook you up.”[1]
Footnotes
Federal courts:
Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals • U.S. District Court: Eastern District of Oklahoma, Northern District of Oklahoma, Western District of Oklahoma • U.S. Bankruptcy Court: Eastern District of Oklahoma, Northern District of Oklahoma, Western District of Oklahoma
State courts:
Oklahoma Supreme Court • Oklahoma Court of Criminal Appeals • Oklahoma Court of Civil Appeals • Oklahoma District Courts • Oklahoma Workers' Compensation Court of Existing Claims
State resources:
Courts in Oklahoma • Oklahoma judicial elections • Judicial selection in Oklahoma
