Former Oklahoma County Judge Submits Resignation Letter To Supreme Court

A former Oklahoma District Judge accused of sexual misconduct asks to resign ahead of a disciplinary hearing.

The State Supreme Court will now decide whether to accept the resignation.

Judge Timothy Henderson was suspended and resigned from the bench in March 2021 after multiple female attorneys accused him of sexual misconduct.

In August of this year, the Oklahoma Bar Association filed official charges, and a disciplinary hearing before the Professional Responsibility Tribunal was scheduled for November.

“I’m sure he and his attorneys felt that going to a full trial would have been fruitless, and he would have lost his license anyway,” legal expert Ed Blau said.

Blau pointed out that resigning avoids that hearing.

“This saves himself from going through a full trial where all of his wrongdoings would be aired to the public,” Blau said.

In his resignation affidavit, Henderson acknowledged the allegations made in the August 10th complaint, claiming he engaged in a secret sexual relationship with two assistant district attorneys assigned to cases in his courtroom.

assigned to cases in his courtroom.  

In the document, he says, “I admit my conduct brought discredit upon the legal profession and was prejudicial to the administration of justice.”

While the burden of proof is on the Bar Association, he waived his right to contest the allegations.

As for the future, the resignation would mean Henderson could not reapply for his law license for 5 years.

Blau says doing so would lead to another full hearing.

“All of these allegations will be relevant as to whether or not he gets his license back,” Blau said. “This will follow him the rest of his legal career.”