Judges Helping Judges is a standing committee of the Oklahoma Judicial Conference which provides an informal method for resolving minor problems with any judge.  The committee, through its co-chairs Creek County Associate District Judge April Sellers White, (918) 224-0911, and 18th Judicial District Judge Thomas Bartheld, (918) 423-6866, accepts requests for assistance. Typical calls include matters being kept too long under advisement, lapses in judicial temperament, docketing problems or other workload management difficulties. Problems regarding substance dependency issues will result in a caller being referred to Lawyers Helping Lawyers or other resources trained to make interventions in these matters unless the committee membership includes such judge with such training.

Upon receipt of a call, the co-chair will obtain enough information about the problem to facilitate contact with that judge and assistance in solving the problem. Calls may be referred to other committee members if specialized experience in an area is needed or if a committee member has a long-standing good working relationship with that particular judge. The judge will be contacted by telephone and an offer of assistance or advice will be made by the committee member.  A follow-up call may be made to discuss progress or further assistance needed by the judge. 

The process is completely confidential. There are no records kept. Even the co-chair’s staff will not inquire about details beyond name and telephone contact information once the caller says it is a Judges Helping Judges matter.  If a problem arises in one co-chair’s county or district, it will be immediately referred to the other co-chair for resolution. If a problem raised is not capable of being adequately addressed within the committee’s expertise, the caller will be furnished contact information for the Council on Judicial Complaints.