What Does State Question 794 Do (And Not Do)?

As November approaches, it’s important to know what State Question 794 does and what it does not do.

SQ 794 would amend the Oklahoma Constitution to guarantee certain rights for victims, survivors, and their families or guardians. We believe victims deserve to have the same protections as those who are accused and convicted. While victims currently enjoy some statutory legal protections, this would expand on those and elevate them to the constitutional level.

For example, consider the case of Leesa Sparks, who, after being kidnapped and tortured for days, was not even informed when most of the charges were dropped on her attacker. Or the case of Kelly Vierling, who was told she could not testify or express any emotion when her son’s killer was put on trial and eventually sentenced to less than six months in prison. Or the case of Sheri Farmer, who was not informed by either the Girl Scouts or law enforcement that her daughter had been murdered on an overnight trip, and heard it instead from a member of her community.

What SQ 794 does not do is change existing defendants’ rights. Marsy’s Law will not infringe in any way upon any existing rights for the accused.

More background on Marsy’s Law for Oklahoma can be found here.

Thanks for your continued support!