Carrie Hixon was recently appointed to serve as Special District Judge for Stephens County. District Judge Brent Russell swore her in a brief ceremony conducted in his courtroom on Monday, October 30 at 9am.
Following the ceremony, Hixon’s son Gage presented her with judicial robes.
Judge Russell told the small group of friends, family and courthouse employees about Hixon past work experience and times that she represented clients before him.
Judge Russell said “ She (Hixon) has always been well prepared, thinks very well on her feet, she has a firm grasp on evidenciary law and the rules of the court, and I could not have made a better decision in my mind than Carrie Hixon for the position.”
Hixon has served in the District Attorney’s office and in private practice and dealt with families on pro bono cases as court appointed counsel as well.
Hixon, 43, has two boys, Gage and Ridge, 17 and 12 years of age. She grew up in the Cement area and attended Cameron University, has worked as a high school teacher in the Ninnekah Public Schools, served as a dispatcher for the Oklahoma Highway Patrol. She has served as an attorney for over 15 several years.
In Oklahoma, we have three types of judges: special judges, associate judges, and district judges. In simple terms, special judges are the lower-level judges who handle specific types of cases. They are appointed by the district judges, which are the highest-level judges in state courts.
A district judge can hire a special judge, or if there’s more than one district judge, they can vote on who to hire as a special judge. Special judges deal with lower-level proceedings, such as family law cases, misdemeanors, protective orders, and DPS hearings.
While special judges play an essential role in the Oklahoma state court system, they have limitations. For instance, they cannot handle civil cases above $10,000, and they cannot deal with any other felonies except DUIs that become subsequent ones.
However, special judges alleviate some of the burdens off district and associate judges, and their pay is not that much different. Their pay is set by statute, and currently, a special judge in the state of Oklahoma earns $122,954 per year.
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