Oklahoma District Attorneys Council

Last updated
District Attorneys Council
Seal of Oklahoma.svg
Great Seal of Oklahoma
Agency overview
Formed1976
Headquarters421 NW 13 Street
Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
Employees37 unclassified
Annual budget$100 million
Minister responsible
Agency executive
  • Kathryn Boyle Brewer, Executive Coordinator
Website District Attorneys Council

The Oklahoma District Attorneys Council is an agency of the state of Oklahoma that provides professional organization for the education, training and coordination of technical efforts of all Oklahoma state prosecutors and to maintain and improve prosecutor efficiency and effectiveness in enforcing the laws of the state. The Council distinguishes itself from the District Attorneys Association, a private organization, in order to lobby the legislature, though it is composed of the same members. [1]

Contents

The council is composed of five members, one of which is the Attorney General of Oklahoma and the remaining four are sitting District Attorneys. The council is responsible for appointing an Executive Coordinator to act as chief executive officer of the council. The current Executive Coordinator is Kathryn Boyle Brewer.

The council was established in 1976 during the term of Governor of Oklahoma David L. Boren.

History

The District Attorneys Council was created by the Oklahoma Legislature in 1976.

In 2019, Steve Kunzweiler and member of the Council organized a DA breakfast "where they could all come together for the first time ever" to later "feel comfortable to pick up the phone and call one of the district attorneys if they have a question about proposed legislation" that would affect their work. [2]

In 2025, they asked for more money when prosecuting and handling death penalty cases, because reports about past death penalty cases claiming something had gone awry. [3]

Functions

The primary function of the District Attorneys Council is to provide a professional organization for the education, training and coordination of technical efforts of all District Attorneys of the State. The Oklahoma District Attorneys Council assists local DAs by providing financial, personnel, and other administrative services upon request. The council is the administrative agency for the Crime Victims Compensation Board and the state administrative agency for several federal grants.

The Oklahoma District Attorneys Council does not have control over individual district attorneys. Its functions are advisory and administrative support only. The council does not have the power to investigate, stop, or otherwise prevent a district attorney from prosecuting an individual or group.

Leadership

The District Attorneys Council is under the supervision of the Secretary of Safety and Security. Under current Governor of Oklahoma Kevin Stitt, Major General Thomas H. Mancino is serving as the secretary.

Council members

The council is composed of five members. The members are the Attorney General of Oklahoma, the President of the Oklahoma District Attorneys Association, the President-elect of the Oklahoma District Attorneys Association, one district attorney selected by the Oklahoma Court of Criminal Appeals for a three-year term, and one district attorney selected by the Board of Governors of the Oklahoma Bar Association for a three-year term. A member of the council must vacate their position upon termination of the member's official position as attorney general or district attorney.

As of 2023, the members of the council are:

Divisions

Lobbying and controversies

Lobbying efforts

Under the Association, which shares the same address and members as the Council, [8] District attorneys in Oklahoma "lobbied for or against 47 bills from 2015 to 2018, according to a study published June 3 by the University of North Carolina School of Law’s Prosecutor and Politics Project." [9] [10] In 2019, the council's top two executives were "registered as agency liaisons to lobby the Legislature." [11] Senator Greg Treat, in a 2024 press conference, called the separation of the Association and the Council a "creative way to hide open records." [12] [13]

Lobbying against other bills

In 2024, the council spoke against David Rader's bill, SB 594, which would have changed the sentencing structure for failure to protect cases, where mothers are typically sentenced more excessively compared to the person who actually carried out the abuse. The bill was backed by the ACLU of Oklahoma. [14]

Accusations of Corruption

In May 2023, Oklahoma representative Kevin McDugle accused the council of applying "pressure across the system to protect their power" and claimed district attorneys are "deeply embedded" in Oklahoma's branches of government in his attempt to help Richard Glossip. The council has also "actively sought to undermine Prater’s successor, Vicki Behenna, the county’s first female elected DA." Prater and the Council knows "that if the courts agree that Glossip’s conviction should be overturned, it will be up to Behenna to decide whether to retry the case." [15]

In December 2023, Representative Justin Humphrey accused DAs of possibly illegally collecting money during supervised probation and called for the attorney general to investigate. The council's chair, Christopher Boring, rebuked Humphrey's claims. [16] [17]

In 2024, House Representative Justin Humphrey accused the Council of fraud for profiting off supervision fees. [18]

In 2024, Oklahoma state Representative Kevin McDugle said he "believes that members of the Oklahoma District Attorneys Council had improper communications with the Oklahoma Pardon and Parole Board prior to Richard Glossip’s clemency hearing in April 2023." District Attorney Jason Hicks criticized AG Drummond for sharing his views on the case. In other communications revealed, district attorneys referred to Drummond as a “douche” and "complained among themselves that the attorney general had turned Glossip’s clemency hearing into a 'circus'" and that Drummond was vying for a run for governor. [19] [20]

See also

References

  1. ↑ Monies, Paul (2019-07-06). "District Attorneys Use Twin Groups to Push Criminal Justice Policies". Oklahoma Watch. Retrieved 2024-04-29.
  2. ↑ "DAs and local lawmakers discuss ways to work together". 2 News Oklahoma.
  3. ↑ Palmer, Grant (2025-09-19). "Oklahoma DA Council seeks funding boost for death penalty case support and fair trials". KOKH. Retrieved 2025-09-20.
  4. ↑ "District Attorneys Council - Our Council".
  5. ↑ Cluiss-Fletcher, Caroline (2024-02-13). "Local Assistant District Attorney to serve as resource prosecutor". www.kxii.com. Retrieved 2024-02-16.
  6. ↑ Butler, Drew (2024-02-12). "District 20 Assistant DA accepts role at state level: Whatley to serve DA council as Domestic Violence & Sexual Assault Resource Prosecutor". The Ardmoreite. Retrieved 2024-02-16.
  7. ↑ "Disagreements about child abuse classification, prosecution prevent Oklahoma law change". KOSU. 2025-03-17. Retrieved 2025-03-18.
  8. ↑ Watch, By Paul Monies, Oklahoma. "District attorneys use twin groups to push policies". The Oklahoman. Retrieved 2024-04-29.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  9. ↑ Ross, Keaton (2021). "Study: Oklahoma Prosecutors Are Strong Lobbyists". Oklahoma Watch .
  10. ↑ "Study: Oklahoma prosecutors are powerful lobbyists". Journal Record. 15 June 2021.
  11. ↑ "District Attorneys Use Twin Groups To Push Criminal Justice Policies". KGOU. 2019.
  12. ↑ "Pro Tem Greg Treat Press Conference 4_25_24 | Oklahoma Senate". oksenate.gov. 2024-04-25. Retrieved 2024-04-29.
  13. ↑ Pro Tem Greg Treat Press Conference 4_25_24 | Senate Pro Tem Greg Treat will hold a press conference on Thursday, April 25 at 1:15 p.m. | By Oklahoma State SenateFacebook . Retrieved 2024-04-29– via www.facebook.com.
  14. ↑ "Disagreements about child abuse classification, prosecution prevent Oklahoma law change". KOSU. 2025-03-17. Retrieved 2025-03-18.
  15. ↑ Segura, Liliana; Smith, Jordan (May 10, 2023). "The "Power, Pride, and Politics" Behind the Drive to Execute Richard Glossip". The Intercept. Retrieved 2023-05-11.
  16. ↑ "Oklahoma Rep. Humphrey says DAs may be illegally collecting money, asks AG to investigate". The Oklahoman. Retrieved 2023-12-18.
  17. ↑ "Oklahoma DA's respond to Rep. Humphrey's illegal fee collection claim". www.kten.com. Retrieved 2023-12-18.
  18. ↑ Report, CityNewsOKC Staff (2024-04-21). "Humphrey Urges News Media to review evidence of Alleged District Attorneys Council Fraud". Oklahoma City Sentinel. Retrieved 2024-04-30.
  19. ↑ World, Steve Metzer Tulsa (2024-03-22). "Lawmakers chime in after DA's comments surface about Drummond, Glossip clemency". Tulsa World. Retrieved 2024-03-30.
  20. ↑ Clay, Nolan. "AG slammed in texts for stance on death row inmate". The Oklahoman.[ permanent dead link ]
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