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A Tulsa County judge sent a journalist to jail today for the crime of waving in her courtroom. The arrest came just hours after the same judge quietly dismissed her own protective order that had banned the reporter from the courthouse for seven months.
Ron, an investigative reporter who has been documenting alleged judicial misconduct, entered Judge Sharon Holmes' courtroom this morning after learning her protective order against him had been dropped. What happened next was captured on livestream and would end with him in handcuffs.
The Awkward Wave That Changed Everything
When Ron walked into the courtroom, an uncomfortable silence fell over the proceedings. Everyone turned to look at the reporter who had been banned from the building since April. In the awkward moment that followed, Ron gave what he described as a small wave before turning around and walking out without saying a word.
The entire interaction lasted seconds. Ron never spoke in the courtroom, never disrupted proceedings, and left immediately when he realized his presence had created an uncomfortable situation. Even the judge's bailiff would later testify that the reporter said nothing during his brief visit.
But for Judge Holmes, it was apparently enough.
Contempt Without Warning
Minutes later, Ron was ordered into the judge's chambers. His first words upon entering were a request that she recuse herself from the matter due to their ongoing legal disputes. Instead of stepping aside, Holmes found him in contempt of court.
The contempt citation came without any prior warning about courtroom rules or behavior. Ron was never told that waving was prohibited, never advised that his presence was unwelcome, and never given an opportunity to correct whatever behavior the judge found objectionable.
Holmes ordered him held without bond, treating a wave as if it were a violent felony. Bond is supposed to ensure a defendant appears for court, not to punish behavior a judge dislikes. But Ron's real crime may have been something else entirely.
The Investigation That Started It All
For months, Ron had been investigating allegations that Judge Holmes was drinking alcohol while presiding over cases, potentially violating the Oklahoma Constitution's prohibition on serving in office while intoxicated. His investigation included surveillance footage of the judge at local establishments and documented patterns of behavior that raised serious questions about her fitness for the bench.
When Holmes learned about the investigation, she obtained a protective order through her colleague Judge Radford, effectively banning Ron from the courthouse where he conducted his reporting. The unusual arrangement of one judge protecting another from journalistic scrutiny raised its own ethical questions.
The protective order was quietly dismissed this morning, just before a scheduled hearing where Ron planned to challenge its validity under Oklahoma's anti-SLAPP laws. These laws protect citizens' rights to engage in political discourse about public officials. If Ron had won his dismissal motion, Holmes could have faced sanctions and attorney fees.
A System Protecting Itself
Ron spent hours in jail before a specially assigned retired judge sentenced him to time served and ordered his release. But the case reveals something deeper about how the judicial system responds to scrutiny.
The entire contempt proceeding happened without legal representation, without the opportunity to present evidence or call witnesses, and without any real due process. A retired judge, specially assigned by the Oklahoma Supreme Court, rubber-stamped the contempt finding based solely on the testimony of Holmes' own bailiff.
Watch the full livestream to see exactly what happened in that courtroom and hear Ron's complete account of his arrest, including audio that may have captured everything said in the judge's chambers.
