Cathy Stocker is a former

District Attorney In the United States, a district attorney (DA), county attorney, county prosecutor, state attorney, state's attorney, prosecuting attorney, commonwealth's attorney, or solicitor is the chief prosecutor or chief law enforcement officer represen ...

for Blaine, Canadian, Garfield, Grant and Kingfisher counties in Oklahoma for 28 years before retiring in 2010, and a former member of the

Oklahoma Pardon and Parole Board The Oklahoma Pardon and Parole Board is the parole board of the state of Oklahoma. The board was created by an amendment to the Oklahoma Constitution in 1944. The Board has the authority to empower the Governor of Oklahoma to grant pardons, parole ...

Career

As district attorney, Stocker served on a task force that developed "various projects to increase awareness of domestic violence issues, to improve enforcement and prosecution of domestic violence laws and to provide services to those who suffer from domestic violence." Stocker and her staff "implemented a domestic violence prosecution program in Canadian and Garfield Counties" and also "implemented the Garfield County Drug Court." She was "a founding member of the Garfield County Child Advocacy Council" and "an appointed member of the Oklahoma Ethics Commission," serving as chair multiple times. Stocker was the District Attorney during the Saundra Kay Medlin case, which was later overturned. Medlin argued

battered woman syndrome Battered woman syndrome (BWS) is a pattern of signs and symptoms displayed by a woman who has suffered persistent intimate partner violence—psychological, physical, or sexual—from her partner (usually male). Although the diagnosis has mainly ...

, was sentenced to four years, but was later exonerated. At the time, Stocker said "her office was 'ready to vigorously pursue edlin'scase.'" In 2007, Stocker’s office protested "the early release of 19 of the 22 inmates with convictions in her district seeking clemency from the state Pardon and Parole Board." In March 2022, Stocker was chosen by Governor

Kevin Stitt John Kevin Stitt (born December 28, 1972) is an American businessman and politician serving as the 28th governor of Oklahoma since 2019. A member of the Republican Party, he was elected in 2018, defeating Democrat and former state Attorney Ge ...

for the

. Stocker resigned from her position on the Oklahoma Ethics Commission, to take the parole board appointment. She replaced Kelly Doyle, who resigned from the parole board the previous month. Stocker was the only woman on the board. At her first pardon and parole board hearing, Stocker did not participate in voting. In June 2023, Stocker voted against clemency for

Richard Glossip Richard Eugene Glossip (born February 9, 1963) is an American prisoner who was on death row for over two decades at Oklahoma State Penitentiary after being convicted of commissioning the 1997 murder of Barry Van Treese. The man who murdered Van ...

, an inmate on death row at

Oklahoma State Penitentiary The Oklahoma State Penitentiary, nicknamed "Big Mac", is a prison of the Oklahoma Department of Corrections located in McAlester, Oklahoma, on . Opened in 1908 with 50 inmates in makeshift facilities, today the prison holds more than 750 male o ...

. In July 2023, Stoker resigned from the board saying that her role was not a "good fit" with the rest of her life obligations.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Stocker, Cathy 21st-century American lawyers Living people Year of birth missing (living people) District attorneys in Oklahoma Oklahoma Republicans People from Garfield County, Oklahoma University of Oklahoma College of Law alumni

Career

See also

References