Marian Opala
| Marian Opala | |
|---|---|
| January 20, 1921 | |
 | |
| Oklahoma Supreme Court Justice | |
| Assumed office 1978 | |
| State Industrial Court Judge | |
| In office 1977-1978 |
Marian P. Opala (1921-2010) is a former justice of the Oklahoma Supreme Court. He was appointed to the bench by Former Governor Boren, a Democrat, on November 21, 1978. He was retained in 1980, 1982, 1988, 1994, 2000, and 2006.[1] He passed away on October 11, 2010 at the age of 89, after suffering from a stroke.[2][3]
Education
Opala earned his J.D. in 1953 and his B.S.B. in Economics in 1957, both from Oklahoma City University. He received a Masters of Law degree from New York University in 1968.[4]
Career
After receiving his law degree, Opala was an assistant county attorney in Oklahoma County, Oklahoma. In 1956, he went into private practice. From there, he was a referee on the Oklahoma Supreme Court from 1960 to 1965. He spent four years as a staff attorney for Justice Rooney McInerney, until he became the first administrative director for the state court system. After spending nine years in this position, he became a judge on the State Industrial Court (now the Workers' Compensation Court). Opala was appointed to the Oklahoma Supreme Court in 1978. He is also an adjunct professor at the University of Oklahoma, Oklahoma City University and the University of Tulsa.[5]
Awards and associations
- 1982-present Oklahoma commissioner, National Conference of Commissioners on Uniform State Laws
- Member, Order of the Coif
- Member, American Law Institute
- 1993 Appointed public member, Administrative Conference of the United States[5]
Files age bias lawsuit
In January, 2005, Opala, then 83 years old, and in line once again to become Chief Justice, filed a federal lawsuit against his colleagues, alleging that they changed Oklahoma Supreme Court rules for succession to chief justice thereby arbitrarily allowing Chief Justice Joseph M. Watt to serve unprecedented consecutive terms. In July, 2006, a federal appeals court dismissed Opala's lawsuit "with prejudice." "My colleagues," Justice Opala explained in a telephone interview, "cannot do to me what they would not permit a corporate employer to do."[6]
Attorney General Drew Edmondson asked a federal judge to dismiss the lawsuit in which Oklahoma Supreme Court Justice Marian P. Opala accused fellow justices of discrimination.[7] Edmondson's motion, filed in U.S. District Court, states that Opala does not have a "federal case" against his colleagues and that even if he did, state Supreme Court justices have legal immunity from Opala's lawsuit. "In short, Justice Opala has no federal claim, and his 'federal case' should be dismissed," a brief filed in support of the motion states. Edmondson's office represents Chief Justice Joseph Watt and the seven other justices Opala sued.[6]
See also
External links
- The Supreme Court of the State of Oklahoma, Justice Marian P. Opala, District No. 3
- Edmond Sun, "Opala celebrates 40 years in state," April 3, 2006
- BNET, "Okla. Supreme Court Justice Marian Opala talks about his suit against," January 24, 2005
Footnotes
- ↑ Oklahoma Supreme Court information (dead link)
- ↑ Sand Springs Leader.com, "Oklahoma State Supreme Court justice dies," October 11, 2010
- ↑ NewsOK, "Oklahoma Supreme Court Justice Marian Opala has died," October 11, 2010
- ↑ Project Vote Smart, Justice Marian P. Opala (OK)
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 The Supreme Court of the State of Oklahoma, Justice Marian P. Opala, District No. 3
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 The New York Times, "Oklahoma Judge, 83, Files Bias Suit Against Colleagues," January 5, 2005
- ↑ Ardmoreite.com (dead link)
