Jantzen v. Hawkins

EBEL, Circuit Judge.

In May 1996, Defendant-Appellee Lewis Hawkins was the incumbent Sheriff of Canadian County, Oklahoma. Hawkins’ Sheriff Office was comprised of thirty-four appointees, including Plaintiffs-Appellants Richard Haugland, Duane Jantzen, and Monte Preño, who were Deputy Sheriffs, and William Gabriele Moulton, a jailer. Hawkins sought re-election to his Sheriff post. On May 2, 1996, Hawkins convened a meeting of his subordinates in which he read from a prepared statement warning that anyone who ran for office against him, openly opposed his reelection, or was in any way disloyal…