Courtney Jordan: Epilepsy, Federal Plea, and License Reinstatement

Courtney Rae Jordan is an Oklahoma attorney and enrolled citizen of the Cherokee Nation whose career was interrupted in 2022 when an undiagnosed seizure disorder led to a police chase, a federal felony conviction, and the suspension of her law license. After treatment, a guilty plea to one count, and a year of probation, the Oklahoma Supreme Court reinstated her license in September 2024. She now runs Suli Law, PLLC in Tulsa, focused on federal criminal defense and federal Indian law.¹

Before the arrest, Jordan had spent four years as an Assistant United States Attorney in Oklahoma prosecuting federal criminal matters in Indian Country, work that earned her the Executive Office for United States Attorneys Director’s Award for Superior Performance in Indian Country in 2021.² She also served as an Assistant Attorney General and as Assistant Solicitor General and Tribal Liaison for the Cherokee Nation.¹ At the time of the incident, she had been employed by the Oklahoma Attorney General’s Office for roughly three months.³

What Happened in July 2022

On July 12, 2022, Broken Arrow police responded to reports involving Jordan: a larceny at a home, erratic driving through a warehouse in an industrial park, and a collision with a pedestrian. When officers tried to stop her, she did not pull over. The pursuit ran through a Walmart parking lot, involved 15 officers, and ended when police used their vehicles to box her in. She was taken to a hospital, medically cleared, then booked into jail, where she stayed two days. Multiple people were injured and property was damaged. Lab tests showed no alcohol or illicit drugs in her system.²⁴

The Epilepsy Diagnosis

In the days before the incident, Jordan had lost consciousness for unexplained reasons and hit her head in a fall. After her arrest, doctors diagnosed her with bilateral temporal lobe epilepsy and post-concussion syndrome. Her neurologist later reported that while the seizures did not cause psychosis, “repetitive seizures can cause changes in behavior that can result in erratic and agitated episodes,” which he believed drove her conduct that day. Once she began medication, the episodes stopped.⁴²

The Federal Charges and Guilty Plea

Because the events occurred on the Muscogee (Creek) Nation Reservation, the case was prosecuted in federal court. On August 3, 2022, a grand jury in the Northern District of Oklahoma returned a three-count indictment (Case No. 4:22-CR-00255-GKF): willfully attempting to elude a police officer while endangering another person; willfully and maliciously failing to stop after an accident and failing to render assistance; and larceny of property valued at less than $1,000.⁵

Jordan pleaded guilty to Count One on May 3, 2023, under a plea agreement pursuant to Federal Rule of Criminal Procedure 11(c)(1)(C). The other two counts were dismissed. On May 18, 2023, she was sentenced to one year of probation, a $1,000 fine, a $100 special assessment, and $22.56 in restitution.⁴²

License Suspension and Reinstatement

The Oklahoma Bar Association opened a disciplinary case (SCBD No. 7504) after the arrest. On June 19, 2023, the Oklahoma Supreme Court issued an immediate interim suspension. While suspended, Jordan worked as a paralegal and did not hold herself out as an attorney.⁵⁴

The trial panel initially found no strong link between her medical condition and her conduct. The Oklahoma Supreme Court disagreed, citing the neurologist’s report. On September 10, 2024, in State ex rel. Oklahoma Bar Association v. Jordan, 2024 OK 61, the court imposed a one-year suspension made concurrent with her criminal probation, which had already expired in May 2024. She received credit for time served under the interim suspension, and the interim suspension was lifted. The court ordered her to pay $1,642.22 in disciplinary costs within ninety days, noted her “unblemished record of achievement” before the incident, and concluded that all examining medical professionals agreed she was capable of practicing law.⁴²

Her Practice Today

Jordan founded Suli Law, PLLC in Tulsa. The firm handles federal criminal defense, federal Indian law, tribal relations and governance, and complex civil litigation, representing tribal nations, businesses, and individuals.¹ She has been readmitted to the bar of the Eastern District of Oklahoma and appointed to its Criminal Justice Act panel, which provides court-appointed counsel in federal criminal cases. She is also admitted to the Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals and to numerous tribal courts.⁶

In an October 2025 column in The Journal Record and a December 2025 essay in the Oklahoma Bar Journal, Jordan wrote publicly about the case, describing the conduct that led to her suspension as “an aberration, not a pattern” and crediting medical treatment and colleagues for her recovery.⁶⁷

1
Suli Law PLLC. About
2
FindLaw. State ex rel. Oklahoma Bar Association v. Jordan
3
KTUL. Former Attorney General Employee Pleads Guilty in Federal Court
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Justia. State ex rel. Oklahoma Bar Association v. Jordan, 2024 OK 61
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FindLaw. State ex rel. Oklahoma Bar Association v. Jordan – Interim Suspension Order
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The Journal Record. Jordan: Oklahoma Courts’ Second Chance
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Oklahoma Bar Association. The Power of a Second Chance