Patrick Pickerill
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Patrick Pickerill is an associate district judge for Pawnee County, Oklahoma, which is located in District 14. He was appointed by Governor Mary Fallin in December 2013.[1] He was elected to the 14th District Court in 2014 for a term that expired on January 13, 2019.[2]
In September 2015, Pickerill was indicted by a grand jury on nine counts, including conspiracy and falsifying judicial records, in connection with his attempt to create a drug court in Pawnee County. The case was dismissed without prejudice in November 2017. Click here to read more about the indictment.
Elections
2014
See also: Oklahoma judicial elections, 2014
Pickerill ran for re-election to the 14th District Court.
General: He defeated Ken Privett in the general election on November 4, 2014, receiving 72.1 percent of the vote.
[2]
Education
Pickerill received his bachelor's degree from Northeastern State University, and his J.D. from the University of Tulsa.[1]
Career
- 2013-2019: Judge, Oklahoma District 14
- 1995-2013: Attorney, Pickerill Law Offices[1]
Noteworthy events
Indictment in connection with attempt to establish drug court
In September 2015, Pickerill was indicted by a grand jury on nine counts, including conspiracy and falsifying judicial records, in connection with his 2014 attempt to create a drug court in Pawnee County. He was accused of backdating documents, asking a potential witness to lie, and deleting files from his computer when questions were raised about the drug court.[3][4]
Pickerill's attorneys stated in court filings that the district attorney who filed the charges, Rex Duncan, was on a "vindictive crusade" against Pickerill.[5] In July 2016, the Oklahoma Court of Criminal Appeals upheld a lower court ruling removing Duncan from the case in order to preserve Pickerill's option to call Duncan as a witness. "I believe that there is a substantial risk that the defendants would be prejudiced by not being allowed to call the prosecutors as witnesses in trial," District Judge James Bland said in handing down his ruling, "and with that being the case, in light of constitutional considerations, the motions are granted."[6]
The Office of the Attorney General dismissed the case against Pickerill without prejudice in November 2017. According to a letter the office sent to Pickerill, "This office takes the allegations and the findings of the multi-county grand jury very seriously and want to note that this dismissal in no way disregards the facts of the investigation or the grand jury’s decision. However, considering the judicial rulings within the civil litigation that arose after the multi-county grand jury indictment, a dismissal is appropriate."[7]
Awards and associations
Awards
- 2005: Attorney Advocate of the Year, Oklahoma Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA)
Associations
- 2005-2013: President, Pawnee County Bar Association
- Member, Osage Nation Bar Association[1]
See also
External links
- Oklahoma State Courts Network, "Judges in Pawnee County"
- County Criminal, "Pawnee County Oklahoma Courthouse," accessed December 16, 2013
- KRMG.com, "New judge starts in Pawnee County," December 15, 2013
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 OK press release, "Gov. Fallin Appoints Patrick Pickerill Associate Dist. Judge of Pawnee County," December 13, 2013
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Oklahoma State Election Board, "Candidates for State Elective Office 2014"
- ↑ Tulsa World, "Pawnee County Judge Patrick Pickerill indicted by Oklahoma's multicounty grand jury," September 29, 2015
- ↑ NewsOK, "Oklahoma judge indicted twice by state grand jury," September 26, 2015
- ↑ The Cleveland American, "Judge, DC continue to spar over indictments," January 14, 2016
- ↑ Tulsa World, "Judge disqualifies district attorney from prosecuting Pawnee County judge," February 6, 2016
- ↑ The Cleveland American, "AG's Letter to Judge Pickerill Closes Case," November 15, 2017
