Sharon Holmes
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.
Career
[edit]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]
Personal life
[edit]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.[29] In 2019, she was hospitalized after being stabbed by her daughter.[30][31]
References
[edit]- ^ "Criminal Division". www.tulsacountydistrictcourt.org. Retrieved 2025-06-04.
- ^ On 6, News. "Tulsa County Judge Reacts To First Black Woman Nominated To SCOTUS". www.newson6.com. Retrieved 2025-06-04.
{{cite web}}:|first=has generic name (help)CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link) - ^ Cuomo, Lindsay (2015-04-23). "Oklahoma Magazine". Retrieved 2025-06-04.
- ^ "Blake Shipley". Ballotpedia. Retrieved 2025-06-04.
- ^ Correspondent, Ralph Schaefer TBLN (2015-09-23). "Judge Sharon Holmes: New job means new experiences". Tulsa World. Retrieved 2025-06-04.
{{cite web}}:|last=has generic name (help) - ^ Jones, Fred (2018-11-08). "District Judge Sharon Holmes Retains Her Post". The Oklahoma Eagle. Retrieved 2025-06-04.
- ^ On 6, News. "Tulsa Man Found Innocent After Serving 28 Years For Murder". www.newson6.com. Retrieved 2025-06-04.
{{cite web}}:|first=has generic name (help)CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link) - ^ "Corey Atchison | National Registry of Exonerations". exonerationregistry.org. Retrieved 2025-06-04.
- ^ IMDB. "The Long Road to Freedom".
- ^ McDonnell, Brandy (18 June 2020). "'Dateline NBC' special 'The Long Road to Freedom' to focus on wrongfully convicted Tulsa brothers". The Oklahoman.
- ^ "Dateline Episode Trailer: The Long Road to Freedom | Dateline NBC". 17 June 2020.
- ^ Rosenberg, Eli (16 July 2019). "Two brothers were wrongly convicted of separate murders. Now they are reunited as free men". Washington Post.
- ^ "Tulsa man sues state after wrongful murder conviction resulting in imprisonment for 28 years". Tulsa World. 24 September 2020. Archived from the original on 24 October 2020.
- ^ "Malcolm Scott, wrongfully convicted of murder, hopes to see shift in wake of George Floyd protests". NBC News.
- ^ "'I can't hold no grudge. Life's too short:' Corey Atchison found actually innocent after 1991 murder conviction". Tulsa World. 17 June 2019. Archived from the original on 31 December 2021.
- ^ "Dateline NBC episode on Friday features two Tulsa brothers wrongfully convicted for murders". Tulsa World. 19 June 2019. Archived from the original on 31 December 2021.
- ^ "DATELINE NBC TO AIR FRIDAY SPECIAL ON DECADES-LONG FIGHT BY TWO BROTHERS TO OVERTURN THEIR WRONGFUL CONVICTIONS IN TULSA, OKLAHOMA". 17 June 2020.
- ^ "Two brothers fight to prove their innocence on tonight's 'Dateline NBC: The Long Road to Freedom'". KARD. 19 June 2020.
- ^ "Corey Atchison's attorney issues statement in response to Tim Harris, Steve Kunzweiler comments". 2 News Oklahoma.
- ^ Mummolo, Burt (2024-11-22). "Judge silent on petition asking for her resignation". KTUL. Retrieved 2025-06-04.
- ^ News 9. "Oklahoma's Own In Focus: Sentence For Man Convicted Of Child Sexual Abuse Outrages Victims". www.news9.com. Retrieved 2025-06-04.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link) - ^ On 6, News. "Tulsa County DA Frustrated With Sentence In Child Sexual Abuse Case". www.newson6.com. Retrieved 2025-06-04.
{{cite web}}:|first=has generic name (help)CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link) - ^ On 6, News. "Tulsa County Judge Reacts To First Black Woman Nominated To SCOTUS". www.newson6.com. Retrieved 2025-06-04.
{{cite web}}:|first=has generic name (help)CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link) - ^ Qiu, Linda (2022-03-21). "Attacks on Judge Jackson's Record on Child Sexual Abuse Cases Are Misleading". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2025-06-04.
- ^ Kessler, Glenn (2022-03-19). "Analysis | Josh Hawley's misleading attack on Judge Jackson's sentencing of child-porn offenders". The Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved 2025-06-04.
- ^ On 6, News. "Tulsa judge removed from murder case after private meeting with suspect". www.newson6.com. Retrieved 2025-06-04.
{{cite web}}:|first=has generic name (help)CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link) - ^ Wilson, Colleen (2025-06-03). "Tulsa County judge disqualified after secretive chat with murder suspect". KTUL. Retrieved 2025-06-04.
- ^ World, Curtis Killman Tulsa (2025-06-03). "Judge removed from murder case after 'improper' meeting with defendant". Tulsa World. Retrieved 2025-06-04.
- ^ Cuomo, Lindsay (2015-04-23). "Oklahoma Magazine". Retrieved 2025-06-04.
- ^ "Oklahoma judge stabbed in the leg, daughter is charged". AP News. 2019-03-16. Retrieved 2025-06-04.
- ^ Frontier, Dylan Goforth | The (2019-03-21). "Police videos show confusion in wake of alleged stabbing of Tulsa district court judge". Enidnews.com. Retrieved 2025-06-04.