Melanie Wilson Rughani

Sep 27, 2023 | okbar.org | Melanie Wilson Rughani

Access to justice is not just a lofty ideal. In Oklahoma, at least, it is a constitutional imperative. Article II, Section 6 of the Constitution provides:The courts of justice of the State shall be open to every person, and speedy and certain remedy afforded for every wrong and for every injury to person, property, or reputation; and right and justice shall be administered without sale, denial, delay, or prejudice.

Aug 25, 2023 | okbar.org | Melanie Wilson Rughani

Nearly every time two parties enter a courtroom, at least one leaves unhappy. It is the nature of our adversarial system. As an appellate lawyer, I routinely receive calls from trial counsel who are sitting in a district court parking lot, fuming. Inevitably, the district court’s ruling was “completely wrong,” and they want to know how to “take this up to the Supreme Court” immediately. Most often, once they get back to the office, cooler heads have prevailed.

Jan 27, 2023 | okbar.org | Melanie Wilson Rughani

We all know the answer to the old riddle, “Where does an 800-pound gorilla sit?” Unintended comparisons aside, much the same can be said for the Oklahoma Supreme Court. Under a well-established jurisprudential doctrine, the court can, and does, intervene in disputes effectively “anywhere it wants” – at least when the question presented is of sufficient public import.