A second judge has stepped aside from the citizens' grand jury petition case targeting Tulsa County District Attorney Steve Kunzweiler, according to Tulsa World Friday, Oct. 23.
The judge recused without offering a reason, according to the Tulsa World. The recusal marks the second time a judge assigned to oversee the petition effort has left the case.
Two days before stepping aside, Judge Lara Russell had granted a request from Kunzweiler's attorney to file a court brief within five days "for good cause shown," according to the Tulsa World's account. The petitioner group, Grand Jury Justice, objected to that grant.
The petition, which a court approved Sept. 29 "as to form and facial sufficiency only," seeks a grand jury investigation into whether Kunzweiler or his office engaged in neglect of official duty and concealment of public records, KTUL reported. The petition was originally filed Sept. 23.
Grand Jury Justice's petition covers 11 areas of concern, including the handling of specific criminal cases, legal guidance to Tulsa County commissioners, potential conflicts of interest, public-records access and whether taxpayer-funded resources were used during Kunzweiler's 2026 reelection campaign, Oklahoma Watch reported.
Kunzweiler, who won a fourth term with nearly 60 percent of the vote in June's Republican primary, has said the petition's issues overlap with his campaign. He told Oklahoma Watch that "the overwhelming majority of the issues raised in the grand jury petition were raised and debated during the campaign." He also said he supports the petitioners' constitutional right to seek a grand jury, even as he suggested the effort may be politically motivated.
Shar Agosto, attorney for Grand Jury Justice, pushed back on that characterization in the same Oklahoma Watch report, saying the petitioners compiled their concerns over time and the effort goes beyond election grievances.
Grand Jury Justice is also fighting Kunzweiler's attorneys' entry into the court proceedings. The petitioner group argues the citizens' grand jury process does not require the target to be a respondent or to have participatory rights at this early stage, according to Oklahoma Watch.
Under Oklahoma law, supporters must gather 5,000 valid signatures from registered Tulsa County voters within 45 days of clearing judicial review before a grand jury can convene. Similar petition efforts targeting former Payne County District Attorney Laura Thomas and Oklahoma Human Services both failed to obtain enough signatures, Oklahoma Watch reported.
