Report: Oklahoma judge Brian Lovell wants to keep his job after sex scandal with bailiffs

The controversial Oklahoma judge facing a variety of charges of illegal firearm possession related to drive-by shootings is demanding to stay on after being suspended for allegedly having sex with a bailiff in his courthouse.

Garfield County Deputy District Judge Brian Lovell, 58, is accused of having inappropriate relationships with two court clerks. As The Oklahoman reported, the judge allegedly had sex with one of them in the courthouse restroom and in her office.

Lovell's lawyers, however, argued that the married judge should not be removed from office over the affair because sex “is no longer the unforgivable sin it once was.” They cited “Fifty Shades of Grey,” “Sex and the City” and popular songs by Marvin Gaye as examples of sex being in the mainstream zeitgeist.

Ultimately, they accused the state of allegedly trying to humiliate Lovell “to the point where he would voluntarily resign.”

Lovell was charged earlier this year after officials discovered incriminating text messages between him and one of the bailiffs with whom he allegedly had an affair.

The messages indicate that Lovell entered into a relationship with the unnamed woman last summer. The two exchanged sexually explicit messages and images during work hours, prosecutors said.

The woman told investigators that the two had sex in her car, in the courthouse bathroom and on a new table in her courthouse office.

The woman said she was “proud” of the table they had sex at, “but not for that reason,” police said.

The affair came years after Lovell allegedly had a relationship with another bailiff who was hired in 2011. The two were accused of meeting during work hours.

That bailiff eventually disclosed the relationship to a judge that same year and resigned. A panel of five district judges then decided to keep Lovell in office.

According to the Oklahoman, the bailiff also resigned from the second alleged affair.

Lovell has neither confirmed nor denied his affairs with the women. The judge is accused of gross neglect of duty, corruption and abuse of office. The public prosecutor accuses him of a series of backroom deals in the courtroom and of preferential treatment.

His team claims that none of the charges represent the real reason why the state court wants to get rid of their client. Defense attorneys argue that the state wants the controversial judge removed from court following his drive-by shooting incidents last year.

Last September, Lovell was charged in Texas for allegedly shooting at six parked cars at an intersection outside a Tex-Mex restaurant in Austin. Police said he fled the scene and rammed a woman's car twice with his SUV.

According to the Oklahoma Attorney General's Office, he was also charged in May of this year for allegedly firing several shots from a .40-caliber Glock pistol at his brother-in-law's Oklahoma home in February 2023.

Lovell said two days later that his gun had been stolen, but police found it in his possession with bullets matching both shootings, local KFOR reported.

Prosecutors want Lovell removed from the case before his trial, which is scheduled for December 2 at the Oklahoma Judicial Center in Oklahoma City.

The court will consider the prosecution's request during the next hearing on September 12.