When the State Supreme Court takes arguments of three legislators next month against Oklahoma Corporation Commissioner Todd Hiett, they’ll hear from one of the state’s most prominent attorneys, Stephen Jones.
Jones, whose law practice is based in Enid, became nationally known in 1995 as he represented Oklahoma City bomber Tim McVey in his federal trial. Now, he will represent Reps. Tom Gann, Kevin West and Rick West in their lawsuit against Commissioner Hiett.
The trio of legislators filed suit in an attempt to stop Hiett from voting on rate matters pertaining to the state’s three largest utilities, Public Service Co. of Oklahoma, Oklahoma Natural Gas and Oklahoma Gas and Electric. They contend that a man allegedly groped by Hiett when he was said to be drunk at a national convention represents one of the three firms and has gone before the Corporation Commission in the past.
Commissioner Hiett is fighting their efforts and the State Supreme Court set oral arguments to be held Nov. 12 before all of the justices.
Attorney Jones has a history of representing noted cases and not just Tim McVeigh.
In 1970, he represented a man who was arrested at the University of Oklahoma for carrying a Viet Cong flag in violation of a law law. A dozen other lawyers refused to defend Green and when Jones took the case, he was dismissed from the Enid law firm where he worked. He eventually won a dismissal of the case.
It was Jones who also represented radical Yippie Abbie Hoffman when Oklahoma State University refused to allow him to speak on campus.
Jones also was active in Oklahoma politics. He ran unsuccessfully for public office four times, including a 1990 U.S. Senate race against David Boren.