Wednesday, September 14, 2011

Leftwich Pleads Case Before Supreme Court

A former state senator charged with bribery shouldn't be prosecuted for alleged misconduct while she was a legislator because she is protected under a clause in the Oklahoma Constitution, her attorney told the state Supreme Court on Tuesday.

Oklahoma County Special Judge Russell Hall entered not guilty pleas on Monday afternoon for Rep. Randy Terrill of Moore and former Sen. Debbe Leftwich of Oklahoma City. Hall set their next court appearance for March 17. Leftwich and Terrill are free on a $2,000 bond.

The speech and debate clause of the constitution provides that lawmakers may not be brought into court to testify about discussions or debates during the legislative process, Robert McCampbell, an attorney for Debbe Leftwich, told the court.

Read more: http://newsok.com/former-lawmaker-shouldnt-be-prosecuted-attorney-tells-oklahoma-supreme-court/article/3603880#ixzz1XuXVCZ78.

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