SECTION 158:1-3-6. Administrative Law Judges and clerks

(a)   Administrative Law Judge. The Administrator may designate a person to serve as an Administrative Law Judge for any proceeding properly filed with the Board. Administrative Law Judges shall be familiar with the rules of procedure and generally familiar with the substantive rules governing the matter, and shall not have had prior involvement in the matter other than as an Administrative Law Judge. The Administrative Law Judge so designated shall have full authority to conduct all aspects of the hearing.

(b)   Hearing clerks. The Administrator shall designate a person to serve as hearing clerk for the Board. The clerk shall maintain the administrative hearing files and dockets.

(c)   Authority. The Administrative Law Judge shall have complete authority to conduct the proceedings and may take any action not inconsistent with the provisions of the rules of this Chapter or of the APA for the maintenance of order at hearings and for the expeditious, fair, and impartial conduct of the proceedings. The Administrative Law Judge may also:

(1)   arrange and issue notice of the date, time and place of hearings and conferences;

(2)   establish the methods and procedures to be used in the presentation of the evidence;

(3)   administer oaths and affirmations;

(4)   regulate the course of the hearing and govern the conduct of participants;

(5)   examine witnesses;

(6)   rule on, admit, exclude and limit evidence;

(7)   establish the time for filing motions, testimony, and other written evidence, briefs, findings, and other submissions, and hold the record open for such purposes;

(8)   rule on motions and other pending procedural matters; and

(9)   divide the hearing into stages or combine interests of parties whenever the number of parties is large or the issues are numerous and complex.

[Source: Added at 19 Ok Reg 1243, eff 2-1-02 (emergency); Added at 19 Ok Reg 1258, eff 5-28-02]