Sharon Holmes is a judge of the Oklahoma Judicial District 14. [1] She is the first black woman judge ever elected to Tulsa County. [2] Her current term ends in 2026.
Holmes worked for the Tulsa County District Attorney’s office as an assistant DA and later "ventured into private practice." She was sworn in as a judge on Jan. 12, 2015 after running against Blake Shipley. [3] [4] She replaced retired District Judge Jesse Harris. [5] She retained her seat in 2018 by capturing 78.12 percent of the 8001 votes cast. [6]
She was the judge who released the exonerated Corey Atchison, calling his case a "fundamental miscarriage of justice." Former DA, Tim Harris was the prosecutor. [7] Current DA, Steve Kunzweiler, defended Tim Harris's work and said they would be appealing Holmes's ruling that overturned Atchison's conviction, [8] though Harris was accused in the 2020 NBC Dateline investigative episode of allegedly coercing one of two formerly convicted Black Tulsa brothers into confessions. [9] [10] [11] [12] [13] [14] [15] [16] [17] [18] Atchison's lawyer, Joseph Norwood, pointed out that "If Harris and Kunzweiler questioned the credibility of the lone witness against Atchison, the case should have been dismissed." [19]
District Attorney Steve Kunzweiler also appealed and protested Holme's sentencing on Shawn Canady, "who was convicted on two counts of child sexual abuse." A petition for her resignation was started [20] after she did not take the jury's sentencing recommendation and gave Canady probation. Canady must also register as a sex offender. [21] [22]
Holmes supported the Biden nomination of Ketanji Brown Jackson, for the Supreme Court, the first Black woman to serve on the court. [23] Brown Jackson was also questioned by Republican lawmakers for her sentencing ranges used on sex offenders. [24] [25]
Kunzweiler also asked for Holmes to be removed from the Cruz murder case after she had a private meeting with the suspect alone, in her chambers. [26] Presiding District Court Judge Dawn Moody "determined Judge Holmes should be disqualified from overseeing" the case. [27] [28]
Holmes was also the first judge in Tulsa to hear an Oklahoma Survivors Act retroactive relief case (for resentencing) in Tulsa County. [29] To the outcry of advocates, she denied release to Erica Harrison, arguing that because Harrison was not in a romantic relationship with Calvin Anderson, even though he repeatedly raped her, she did not quality under the OSA. [30] [31] [32]
Holmes has a bachelor’s degree on an ROTC scholarship and spent six years in the Air Force. She attended Oklahoma City University. She is a mother. [33] In 2019, she was hospitalized after being stabbed by her daughter. [34] [35]
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