Alva Review-Courier -

A legal defense fund has been formed for State Superintendent of Public Instruction Joy Hofmeister, who is charged with conspiring to evade campaign finance laws during her 2014 bid for office.

The special-function committee, the "Joy Hofmeister Defense Fund," which was approved Thursday by the state Ethics Commission, is the first of its kind to focus on raising funds for an elected official's legal entanglements. Special-function committees are often used to collect donations for conferences and events, such as the Oklahoma Speaker's Ball.

Prior to 2015, officials were permitted to use campa...