Davis: Okla. Workers' Comp Commission: Push Them on ERISA and They'll Push Back

On Friday, Feb. 26, 2016, the Oklahoma Workers’ Compensation Commission (WCC) offered one of the most bizarre decisions in the history of any such tribunal in the world. The agency, which sits within the executive branch of the state’s government, resorted to a tactic traditionally reserved for the judiciary by pronouncing portions of a state statute unconstitutional—a move that has sent shock waves throughout the workers’ compensation (WC) industry nationwide. This essay is provided to explain how and why such an unprecedented and unexpected event took place. Wha...