“We’re going to be paying lawyers instead of teachers… It’s real good politics, it plays well with folks back home, and it gets you votes whether it’s a good idea or not.”

-David Smith, an attorney arguing that the state will face enormous costs to defend against lawsuits if SQ 790 passes (Source) Read our fact sheet on SQ 790.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Ryan Gentzler worked at OK Policy from January 2016 until November 2022. He last served as the organization's Reserach Director and oversaw Open Justice Oklahoma. He began at OK Policy as an analyst focusing on criminal justice issues, including sentencing, incarceration, court fines and fees, and pretrial detention. Open Justice Oklahoma grew out of Ryan’s groundbreaking analysis of court records, which was used to inform critical policy debates. A native Nebraskan, he holds a Master of Public Administration degree from the University of Oklahoma and a BA in Institutions and Policy from William Jewell College. He served as an OK Policy Research Fellow in 2014-2015.

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