[ad_1]
Former state Sen. Kay Floyd, a Democrat who represented Oklahoma City, and former Oklahoma County Public Defender Gunner Briscoe have been sworn in as Oklahoma City municipal court judges.
Both join two more municipal judges who oversee cases involving alleged violations of municipal code, including traffic tickets, residential code enforcement, criminal offenses and more, according to a city news release.
Presiding Judge Donald O. Kiffin, who conducted the Aug. 26 swearing-in ceremony, is also newly appointed to his role. Floyd, Briscoe and Kiffin join Judge Edward D. Hasbrook.
Before the swearing-in ceremony, Kiffin said in his remarks judges must embody the spirit of the law with understanding, empathy and humanity.
“Laws affect real people. A judge who understands the human context behind each case can apply the law with compassion, fairness and impartiality,” he said, and added that doesn’t mean bending the rules. “But rather it means interpreting them with a deep awareness of their consequences.”
OKC Mayor David Holt welcomed both Floyd and Briscoe to the judicial roles and said the city is very grateful for their willingness to serve.
Floyd and Briscoe replace two judges: Judge Kendal Huber Tawwater and former Presiding Judge Philippa James, who retired on June 30 after 28 years of service with the Oklahoma City Municipal Court, according to the news release
“Municipal Judges play a pivotal role in maintaining public trust and confidence in our city’s justice system,” Ward 8 Councilman Mark Stonecipher said in the news release. Stonecipher serves as the judiciary chair for the city’s Judiciary Committee. “These two judges were chosen not only for their integrity but also for their calm, patient, and courteous demeanor, which will leave a lasting positive impression on everyone who comes to court.”
More: Mayor David Holt installed as president of the U.S. Conference of Mayors
Former Senate Minority Leader Kay Floyd is now a municipal judge for Oklahoma City. Pictured above in 2023, she made the motion to adjourn at the close of the 2023 legislative session at the state Capitol.
Floyd returns to the municipal judgeship for a second time, as she previously served as a special municipal judge for municipal court from 1990 to 2011. She then moved onto serving in the Oklahoma House of Representatives in 2012 after her election. In 2014, she was elected to the Oklahoma Senate and eventually served as Senate Democratic leader.
“My previous experience in the courts was very beneficial to me as I worked in the State House and Senate, and I look forward to serving the people of Oklahoma City,” Floyd said in the news release. “It is an honor to return to the judiciary.
Before her time in the Legislature, Floyd served as an assistant attorney general, deputy executive director for the Oklahoma Horse Racing Commission and served 22 years as an administrative law judge for the state, according to the news release.
Floyd holds a bachelor’s degree and two minor degrees from Oklahoma State University and a law degree from the University of Oklahoma School of Law.
Judge Gunner Briscoe was sworn in Aug. 26 as an Oklahoma City municipal judge.
Briscoe spent a majority of his career at the Oklahoma County Public Defender’s Office, where he defended the constitutional rights of criminal defendants at all stages of proceedings in both misdemeanor and felony cases, according to the news release. He also joined the appellate team and argued a death penalty appeal to the Oklahoma Court of Criminal Appeals.
“I am extremely honored and humbled by this appointment to the Oklahoma City Municipal Criminal Court of Record,” Briscoe said in the news release. “I will endeavor to always be worthy of the trust placed in me by the City Council in fairly and justly upholding the rule of law in the City to all litigants that come before me. I look forward to working with the Court to ensure an even-handed administration of justice in the coming years.”
Briscoe also worked briefly with Wirth Law Office as a private attorney and as an assistant general counsel at the Oklahoma State Department of Health. He holds a bachelor’s degree in philosophy with honors from Oklahoma Baptist University and a law degree from Oklahoma City University School of Law.
This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Two municipal judges sworn in for Oklahoma City
[ad_2]