Longtime Nichols Hills municipal judge retiring
NICHOLS HILLS — During more than three decades presiding over Nichols Hills Municipal Court, Judge Charles B. Lutz Jr.’s goal was to make sure everyone who appeared before him had a chance to be heard.
After 32 years, the longtime Oklahoma City attorney will step down as the Nichols Hills municipal judge Sept. 5, and said he hopes that most of those who appeared before him— many of whom were encountering the legal system for the first time— feel they were treated fairly.
Lutz said that regardless of the case, he would listen to anyone who wanted to speak before their case was decided.
“I don’t want them to leave not having been treated fairly,” Lutz said later. “I want them to know that someone’s listening. I like to let them express their concerns. I listen, then I adjudicate,” he said.
“I’m not saying people didn’t get mad sometimes, but they had an opportunity to be heard.”
Lutz said he would also listen to the prosecuting attorney’s argument before deciding a case. Anyone who wished to plead not guilty and request a trial was granted one, he said. All trials in municipal court are “bench trials,” without juries, he said.
‘It’s time for someone else to do it’
Lutz became the municipal judge for Nichols Hills in July 1986. He said recently that 32 years is long enough for anyone to preside over municipal court.
“I’m almost seventynine years old,” he said. “It’s time for someone else to do it.”
Lutz also has had a standout 50-year legal practice during which he has litigated cases in District Court in Oklahoma, the Western and Eastern Districts of U.S. District Court in Oklahoma, and at the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 10th Circuit in Denver.
Lutz’s legal career began in 1968 after he received a law degree from the University of Oklahoma, where he also got his bachelor’s degree. He left the Oklahoma City law firm of Speck Philbin in 2015 to form his own law practice, and said he’ll continue handling a limited number of mostly probate matters.
He said municipal court sessions have produced some notable moments over the years.
One, he said, involved a resident who was accused of wetting down his neighbor’s wife with a garden hose.
“I don’t remember how it was resolved,” he said.
“We’ve had a few fist fights,” he said. “The room is generally pretty full.”
Lutz said he’s never been threatened, but recalled a defendant once slamming the door on his way out.
“I almost jerked him back in, but didn’t,” he said, chuckling.
City prosecutor Pope Van Cleef said Lutz, in his opinion, has been “a great judge.”
“He treats everybody fairly,” Van Cleef said. “This may be the only time a person has contact with a court at all. He’s tried to treat everybody with total respect.
"Sometimes they just want to talk to the judge. He listens, then he decides.”
Proud moments on the bench
Lutz said he’s most proud of the approach the court has taken with juvenile, first-time offenders.
In most cases, he said the prosecutor will review the case, sometimes visit with the offender’s parents, then make a recommendation. Some defendants attend a victim’s impact panel or a rehabilitation program when warranted, or perform community service.
After a probationary period, he said, if there have been no other offenses, the charge is dismissed with court costs, which generally are from $50 to $100.
“There have been people who don’t get it, but generally we’ve had good success,” Lutz said. “In Nichols Hills, we have great parental support.”
Nichols Hills Municipal Court sessions are held in the city council chambercourtroom on the first and third Wednesdays of every month, except for holidays. Arraignments are held in the morning, when pleas are entered. Afternoons are reserved for trials.
Lutz said he has experienced great support from Nichols Hills officials throughout his tenure on the bench.
“I hope the next judge enjoys the same continuity of office,” he said. “I’ve been very happy with the way things have been.”