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Posted: Mar 26, 2026 7:29 AMUpdated: Mar 26, 2026 7:29 AM
Fast-Tracking Justice

In a rare moment of legislative urgency, the Oklahoma Senate decided that maybe, just maybe, people shouldn’t sit in jail indefinitely waiting for a hearing. Lawmakers passed Senate Bill 1381, authored by Dave Rader, in a 46-1 vote Wednesday, aiming to speed up the state’s pretrial release process and bring a little efficiency to county jails.
The bill orders the Oklahoma Supreme Court to oversee a three-year pilot program in Oklahoma County, where defendants will be guaranteed a bond hearing within 48 hours or 72 hours if they have the audacity to get arrested on a weekend or holiday. The move comes after a court ruling found Tulsa County’s bail system was dragging its feet so badly it violated the Equal Protection Clause of the U.S. Constitution. Since then, officials have been scrambling to make hearings happen before defendants grow roots in their jail cells.
Rader says the goal is to avoid more lawsuits and, in a shocking twist, actually follow the 14th Amendment’s requirement for timely due process. He also pointed out that holding people longer than necessary costs taxpayers money and can cost defendants their jobs, details that apparently needed a legislative reminder. The bill, inspired by an interim study on modernizing the system, now heads to the House, where Erick Harris will help carry it forward. Maybe, modern Oklahoma justice will have a shot clock sooner than Oklahoma high school basketball.
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