Robert D. Bell

Robert D. Bell (born May 11, 1967) was born and raised in Norman, Oklahoma. He earned two law degrees, one in his home state and the second in North Carolina. He then spent 13 years in private practice in his hometown while also serving as a municipal judge in 5 towns and cities of Oklahoma. First appointed a judge in 1994, he was then the youngest sitting judge of any kind in the state. In 2005, he was appointed to fill a vacancy on the Oklahoma Court of Civil Appeals, a position he still holds to this after winning votes on retention in 2006, 2012 and 2018. Bell's most notable ruling occurred in Ward & Lee, P.L.C. v. City of Claremore, where the appeals panel overturned a lower court decision because the police had refused to release the patrol car's dash-cam video of a DUI arrest. Judge Bell showed that the evidence in question was not exempted from the Open Records Act, as claimed by the police, and must be released on request. Early life and education Robert D. Bell was born to Bobby and Jaynee Bell in Norman, Oklahoma on May 11, 1967, Raised in Norman, he graduated from Norman High School, then earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Oklahoma in 1989. He earned his Juris Doctor (J.D.) from the University of Tulsa College of Law in 1992. He earned an award in law school for distinguished service to the House of Delegates, in recognition of being elected to office all three years of school. Later, Bell also earned the LL.M. from the Duke University School of Law. Professional career Bell returned to Norman, where he spent 13 years in private law practice. During that time, he also served as municipal judge for the cities of Blanchard, Broken Arrow, Moore, Noble and Purcell. Bell has also served the University of Oklahoma College of Law since 1998.