Wednesday, Dec. 31, 2025 • Upper 50s, lower 60s — and we end the year very dry. ☀️

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In today’s Memo:

By Barbara Hoberock, Oklahoma Voice
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OKLAHOMA CITY – A dozen new laws take effect Jan. 1, including one designed to provide more consistency in sentencing of felony crimes.

House Bill 1792, dubbed the Sentencing Modernization Act of 2024, creates a uniform classification system for all felony offenses and maximum fines.

“It is a big deal,” said Sen. Dave Rader, R-Tulsa, who carried the measure in the Senate.

It organizes more than 2,000 felonies into 14 classes based on severity. It sets standard sentencing ranges for certain felonies. Repeat offenders face harsher penalties under the measure.

Supporters of the measure said it creates more clarity and consistency in sentencing.

Rader said the measure will make sure all Oklahoma counties are following similar sentencing ranges.

Prior to the measure, two individuals living in different parts of the state and convicted for the same crime could receive substantially different sentences, Rader said.

The provisions in the bill came from the Oklahoma Criminal Justice Reclassification Council, created by the legislature in 2018.

Click here to read the full story.

Summarized by Ryan Welton
Special to Oklahoma Memo

Dozens of low-income defendants across Oklahoma were denied effective legal representation and pushed into plea deals without adequate counsel, according to a forthcoming class action lawsuit being prepared against the Oklahoma Indigent Defense System.

The Neal Center for Justice, Inc. said the lawsuit will represent at least 30 indigent clients, many of them minorities and some currently incarcerated, who allege they were pressured to accept plea agreements without meaningful attorney involvement, sufficient investigation, or a clear understanding of the consequences.

The organization alleges those failures are not isolated incidents but the result of chronic underfunding, excessive caseloads, and structural problems within Oklahoma’s indigent defense system. Those conditions, the group argues, routinely prevent attorneys from providing constitutionally required representation, violating defendants’ rights to due process and equal protection under the Fourteenth Amendment.

“This case is about more than individual failures—it is about a system that has normalized constitutional shortcuts at the expense of the poor,” said C.J. Webber-Neal, on behalf of the Neal Center for Justice. “The right to counsel is meaningless if that counsel is overwhelmed, under-resourced, or unable to provide a genuine defense.”

According to preliminary findings cited by the group, affected defendants report little to no pretrial investigation, limited communication with attorneys, failure to challenge evidence or pursue viable defenses, and inadequate explanation of the long-term effects of guilty pleas. Some allegations include pressure to accept plea deals tied to conditions at the Oklahoma County Detention Center.

The planned lawsuit seeks a court declaration that constitutional violations occurred, structural reforms to the indigent defense system, remedies for impacted clients, including post-conviction review where applicable, and judicial oversight to enforce compliance with constitutional standards.

The Neal Center for Justice said the legal action is aimed at systemic failures rather than individual public defenders. Further details are expected once the lawsuit is formally filed.

By Ryan Welton & Jeremy Cook
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Eight teams remain in the 2025-26 college football playoffs, and if this week’s Bedlam Buds picks are any sign — these games are going to be great.

It starts New Year’s Eve night with No. 10 Miami vs. No. 2 Ohio State, and the guys weren’t in agreement with Jeremy saying the Buckeyes would win and Ryan saying he thought this was “Miami’s moment.” He had also just finished watching the 30 for 30 documentary about “The U” from the 1980s, so there’s that.

Ryan and Jeremy were on separate sides of the No. 5 Oregon vs. No. 4 Texas Tech tilt and the No. 9 Alabama vs. No. 1 Indiana matchup. Where they agreed was that No. 3 Georgia would roll past No. 6 Ole Miss on New Year’s night.

We shall see. No betting, and all in fun.

What are your picks? Message me anytime at [email protected].

Editor’s note: Links requiring subscriptions have an *.

Editor’s note: Links requiring subscriptions have an *.

A hand-curated list of the best journalism from across the state:

• Irritating employees, Corporation Commission terminates Brandy Wreath as administrative director (NonDoc)

• Oklahoma lawmaker will try again to slow state’s eviction timeline, which includes holidays (The Frontier)

• Oklahoma Lawmakers reflect on the best, worst, and what’s next after 2025 (News 9)

• Emergency manager says tankers were empty at time of freight train derailment in Dover (KOCO)

• Mel Curth appeals OU's decision to remove her from teaching after essay grade (The Oklahoman)*

• No additional bike lanes on Classen Boulevard after city council vote (KFOR)

• Member resigns as Edmond Community Policing Board continues sex crime discussion (NonDoc)

• Driver sentenced to prison in death of OSU student Gabi Long (The O’Colly)

• Arkansas City man sentenced to 25 years in prison in fatality accident case (Kay News Cow)

• Investigation underway after body found in Lake Hefner (KOCO)

• 3 coaches on ‘personal leave’ after Oklahoma college basketball player’s death (KNWA)

• David Hoffmann to become chairman of Tulsa World's owner after $35 million deal (Tulsa World)*

• Bridge work to start on Hwy 75 in Jenks (2 News Oklahoma)

• Norman’s Das Boot Camp Restaurant & Bar to close after 13 years on Main Street (OU Daily)

• Popular gallery closing in Hominy after death of artist Cha Tullis (News On 6)

• We asked 7 Tulsans what a ‘comfortable’ income is for them. Here’s what they said. (Tulsa Flyer)

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