New Law found unconstitutional

After the passing of the Oklahoma Municipal Employee Collective Bargaining Act several Oklahoma Cities filed suit in various district courts around the state challenging the law. This law would allow the public employees of municipalities with populations of 35,000 or more to form unions. On January 12, 2005, in one of several suits filed around the state, Judge Daniel Owens, District Judge for Oklahoma County, held that the new law was unconstitutional because it does not apply to cities and towns with populations of 35,000 or fewer, which violates the prohibition of "special laws" contained in Article 5, Section 46 of Oklahoma Constitution.