10A « June 20, 2019 « THE JOURNAL RECORD « journalrecord.

com LEGAL

OK-CADP elects
board officers
OKLAHOMA CITY – The Okla-
homa Coalition to Abolish the
Death Penalty has elected its
2019-2020 Executive Board of
Directors.
The Rev. Don Heath was re-
elected as board chair after serv-
ing in that position for two years
and as vice chair for two years.
Heath has served as pastor of
Edmond Trinity Christian Church
since 2007. He has a master
of divinity degree from Phillips
Theological Seminary in Tulsa. He
represents the Christian Church
(Disciples of Christ) in Oklahoma
for the coalition.
Heath is an attorney with the
firm of Hirsch, Heath & White in
Oklahoma City. He received his
juris doctor from the University
of Oklahoma School of Law in
1982.
A court-ordered moratorium
has been in place since October
2015 as Oklahoma develops a
new protocol for executions. Un-
der the court order, the morato-
rium on executions in Oklahoma
will continue until a new protocol
is approved.
Elizabeth Overman, a politi-
cal science professor at the Uni-
versity of Central Oklahoma, was
reelected vice chair.
Margie Roetker, representing
the Peace and Justice Committee
of Oklahoma City’s St. Charles
Borromeo Catholic Church, was
reelected for a second term as
board treasurer.
L E G A L B R I E F S
Margaret Cox was elected and a bachelor’s degree and a surer; and Coree Stevenson, as- offices in Tulsa, Oklahoma City
secretary. master of business administra- sociate general counsel for Love’s and Springfield, Missouri.
During the coalition’s awards tion from the University of Cen- Travel Stops, governance chair. –Staff report
dinner, Cox was elected as one tral Oklahoma. New board members include
of the seven at-large board Raymond E. Penny Jr. is an Cody Cooper, a patent attor-
members along with Wende associate in the Tulsa office. ney with Phillips Murrah; Pam Tulsa Law student
Battle, Leslie Fitzhugh, Kelley Penny focuses his practice in Lane, a CASA volunteer; Candice
Garrett, Nykkia Harris, Over- litigation. Prior to attending law Milard, an attorney with Milard
receives Crowe &
man, and Gilbert Parks. school, he served as a captain in Law and member of the Associa- Dunlevy scholarship
Representing the National As- the U.S. Marine Corps and was tion of Black Lawyers; Shontai TULSA – Gavin J. Burl, a student
sociation of Blacks in Criminal Jus- deployed to Afghanistan for Mouton, a research analyst at at the University of Tulsa College
tice, Oklahoma Chapter, Fitzhugh Operation Enduring Freedom in Love’s Travel Stops and a mem- of Law, has been awarded Crowe
was appointed to also serve on 2011 as the fire support coordi- ber of the National Association of & Dunlevy’s Diversity Scholars
the executive committee for a nator for an infantry battalion. Black Accountants; and Tammy Program scholarship.
second term. –Staff report He served as deputy director of Streeter, vice president at Bank The honor is given annually to
the Gang and Organized Crime of Oklahoma. a TU Law candidate who quali-
Prosecution Unit in the Tulsa CASA works in conjunction fies based on academic achieve-
Hall Estill adds County District Attorney’s Office with the juvenile court system to ment, financial need and com-
before starting with Hall Estill. provide trained volunteer advo- mitment to the
two associates Penny graduated from the Uni- cates to speak for the best in- law. Burl will
TULSA – Hall Estill has an- versity of Tulsa College of Law. terests of children in foster care receive up to
nounced two new associates. –Staff report due to abuse or neglect. $10,000, with
Jacqueline M. McCormick –Staff report $2,000 award-
has joined the firm as an as- ed each se-
sociate in the CASA of Oklahoma mester based
Oklahoma City
County elects officers Paralegal joins on satisfactory
office. Gavin J. progress and
She prac- OKLAHOMA CITY – Joni Stew- McAfee & Taft Burl performance.
tices solely in art will serve a second term as TULSA – Amanda Terrell joined Since the
the litigation CASA of Oklahoma County board McAfee & Taft as a paralegal for firm’s Diversity Scholars Program
area, focusing president. the Labor and Employment Group. was established in 2005, more
on general Stewart is an independent Terrell has 16 years of ex- than $250,000 in scholarships
Jacqueline M. civil litigation, consultant. She was managing perience as a legal assistant, has been awarded to students.
McCormack insurance partner of Bridge Group, an ac- investigator and paralegal. Terrell A first-year law student, Burl
defense counting firm she founded and earned her as- served as a Student Bar Associa-
and medical then sold in 2017. sociate degree tion delegate and was a Board
malpractice Other board officers are Jes- in paralegal of Advocates 1L Negotiation
defense. sica Ramirez, human resources studies from Competition finalist.
She re- manager for ATC Drivetrain, vice Metropolitan Burl received his undergradu-
ceived her law president; Jack Morgan, an archi- College of Le- ate degree from East Central
degree from tecture and interior design man- gal Studies. University in 2018. Burl served as
the University ager at Guernsey, secretary; Lisa McAfee & Student Government Association
Raymond of Oklahoma Owens, financial vice president Amanda Taft has 180 president and was a member of
Penney Jr. College of Law with Clearwater Enterprises, trea- Terrell attorneys and the football team. –Staff report

Prosecutor adds 22 St. Louis officers to exclusion list

BY JIM SALTER
Associated Press
ST. LOUIS – St. Louis’ top prosecutor
has added 22 more names to a list of city
police officers who are not allowed to
bring cases to her office, after a national
group accused the officers of posting
racist and anti-Muslim comments on
social media.
The 22 new names brings to 59 the
total number of officers on Circuit At-
torney Kim Gardner’s “exclusion list”
that she first announced in August.
Gardner has said the original list includ-
ed officers with credibility concerns,
but declined to elaborate.
Gardner said seven of the newly
added officers are permanently banned
from presenting cases for warrants. The
other 15 will be reviewed to consider
conditions of reinstatement.
The Philadelphia-based Plain View
Project studied thousands of Facebook
posts from St. Louis and seven other
jurisdictions as part of a project that
began in 2017. Details were released
St. Louis Circuit Attorney Kim Gardner
speaks at a news conference in St. Louis,
Mo. AP FILE PHOTO/JIM SALTER
this month. Forty-three of the 3,500 ac-
counts viewed by the group were tied to
St. Louis, with 22 of those involving cur-
rent officers and 21 former officers.
Some of the posts support roughing
up protesters or mock foreign accents.
Others display the Confederate flag and
question whether Black History Month
is racist.
“When a police officer’s integrity is
compromised in this manner, it compro-
mises the entire criminal justice system
and our overall ability to pursue jus-
tice,” Gardner said in a news release late
Tuesday. “After careful examination of
the underlying bias contained in those
social media posts, we have concluded
that this bias would likely influence an
officer’s ability to perform his or her du-
ties in an unbiased manner.”
Gardner’s move comes amid long-
standing tension with police. Gardner,
who is black, was elected in November
2016 after campaigning to rebuild trust
in the criminal justice system at a time
when the St. Louis area was still heal-
ing from the events in nearby Ferguson,
where a white police officer shot and
killed an unarmed black teenager, Mi-
chael Brown, two years earlier.
She has been at odds with the city’s
law enforcement establishment virtu-
ally since taking office.
Gardner’s original exclusion list an-
nounced in August contained more
than two dozen officers. Gardner’s
spokeswoman said additional officers
were added to the list later and the new
names bring the total to 59 – roughly 5%
of the city’s approximate 1,100 commis-
sioned officers.
In addition to the ban on presenting
cases, search warrants will not be ap-
proved for investigations involving of-
ficers on the list, Gardner said.
In response to the report on the Face-
book postings, St. Louis police pulled
several officers off the streets, launched
an internal investigation and ordered
sensitivity training for officers. The city
said it would require additional training
on discrimination, harassment and so-
cial media rules for all 7,200 of its civil
service employees.
Police Sgt. Keith Barrett said the in-
ternal investigation is ongoing but de-
clined to comment on Gardner’s action
adding officers to the exclusion list.
In a letter to Public Safety Director
Jimmie Edwards and Police Chief John
Hayden, Gardner said the social media
statements were “shocking and beneath
the dignity of someone who holds such
a powerful position, especially those
comments that advocate violence.”

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