The Ballot Brief
Oklahoma judges
November 2026

Judges 2026 › Oklahoma › Judges on the ballot

Judges on the Oklahoma ballot in November 2026

Oklahoma voters see 5 retention questions, 12 court races elected by district on the November 3, 2026 ballot in the races The Ballot Brief tracks. Retention questions are a yes-or-no vote on keeping a sitting judge; elected seats work like any other race.

Judicial retention votes: yes or no on keeping a judge

Oklahoma Supreme Court

M. John Kane IV

Retention: yes or noJudicial District 1

Kane earned his law degree from the University of Oklahoma College of Law and served as District Judge of Osage County, where he established the county's first drug court, before his appointment to the Supreme Court, per the court's official biography. Governor Kevin Stitt appointed him in September 2019, and he served as Chief Justice from 2023 to 2025.

Appointed by Gov. Kevin Stitt (2019) · On the court since 2019

What a yes vote does: keeps the judge for another term; a no vote removes the judge at the end of the term.

Official court biography · Official retention list

Dana Kuehn

Retention: yes or noJudicial District 6

Kuehn earned her law degree from the University of Tulsa College of Law and spent ten years as a felony prosecutor with the Tulsa County District Attorney's Office before her election as a Tulsa County Associate District Judge and later appointment to the Court of Criminal Appeals, per the court's official biography. Governor Kevin Stitt appointed her to the Supreme Court on July 26, 2021.

Appointed by Gov. Kevin Stitt (2021) · On the court since 2021

What a yes vote does: keeps the judge for another term; a no vote removes the judge at the end of the term.

Official court biography · Official retention list

Richard Darby

Retention: yes or noJudicial District 9

Darby earned his law degree from the University of Oklahoma in 1984 and served as a district judge in the Third Judicial District for over 23 years before his appointment to the Supreme Court, per the court's official biography. Governor Mary Fallin appointed him in April 2018 to represent Judicial District Nine.

Appointed by Gov. Mary Fallin (2018) · On the court since 2018

What a yes vote does: keeps the judge for another term; a no vote removes the judge at the end of the term.

Official court biography · Official retention list

Oklahoma Court of Criminal Appeals

Robert L. Hudson

Retention: yes or noDistrict 2

Hudson earned his law degree from the University of Oklahoma College of Law in 1983, practiced law privately in Guthrie, and served as District Attorney for Payne and Logan Counties before joining the Attorney General's office, per the court's official biography. Governor Mary Fallin appointed him to the Court of Criminal Appeals in 2015.

Appointed by Gov. Mary Fallin (2015) · On the court since 2015

What a yes vote does: keeps the judge for another term; a no vote removes the judge at the end of the term.

Official court biography · Official retention list

Gary L. Lumpkin

Retention: yes or noDistrict 3

Lumpkin earned his law degree from the University of Oklahoma College of Law in 1974, served in the U.S. Marine Corps including 18 months in Vietnam, and worked as a district attorney and district judge in Marshall County before his appointment, per the court's official biography. Governor Henry Bellmon appointed him to the Court of Criminal Appeals, and he began service in January 1989; he currently serves as Presiding Judge.

Appointed by Gov. Henry Bellmon (1989) · On the court since 1989

What a yes vote does: keeps the judge for another term; a no vote removes the judge at the end of the term.

Official court biography · Official retention list

How retention votes work

Oklahoma Supreme Court, Court of Criminal Appeals, and Court of Civil Appeals judges are first appointed by the governor from a Judicial Nominating Commission's list, then must periodically file a declaration of candidacy to succeed themselves and stand in a nonpartisan yes/no retention election every six years; a majority yes vote retains the judge.

Source: oklahoma.gov, as of 2026-09-15.

Court races elected by district

Each of these seats appears only on ballots inside its court district or county. Enter your address in the lookup to see which, if any, is yours.

District Judge, District 4, Office 2

Voted only inside this court district or county. 2 candidates.

  • Paul K. Woodward Incumbent

    Paul K. Woodward is the sitting district judge for Oklahoma's 4th Judicial District, per Grant County's official website. He graduated from Oklahoma City University School of Law in 1984, then practiced law in Enid before becoming Garfield County's special judge in 2007 and being elected district judge in 2010, per the same source. No campaign website was found as of September 15, 2026.

    Full profile

  • Eric Edwards

    Eric Edwards is an Enid, Oklahoma attorney challenging incumbent Judge Paul K. Woodward for the District 4, Office 2 seat, per Nondoc. He previously ran for judicial office in 2018, per the same source. No campaign website was found as of September 15, 2026.

    Full profile

District Judge, District 5, Office 1

Voted only inside this court district or county. 2 candidates.

  • Neil West

    Neil West is a public defender for the Oklahoma Indigent Defense System, per SWOKNews. A graduate of Oklahoma City University School of Law, he has served as Lawton's assistant city attorney and city prosecutor and as a Comanche County assistant district attorney and mental health court coordinator, per the same source. No campaign website was found as of September 15, 2026.

    Top Priorities
    • Points to his varied roles across city, county and indigent-defense courts as preparation for the bench., per the campaign site

    Full profile

  • Christine Galbraith

    Christine Galbraith is Comanche County's special judge, appointed in 2023, per SWOKNews. She earned her law degree from Oklahoma City University School of Law and a bachelor's degree from James Madison University, and her career has included private practice, pro bono work and contract work for Legal Aid Services of Oklahoma, per the same source.

    Campaign site · Full profile

District Judge, District 8, Office 1

Voted only inside this court district or county. 2 candidates.

  • Rob Davis

    Rob Davis is an assistant district attorney for Oklahoma's 8th Judicial District, per his campaign site. He has eight years of experience prosecuting violent felony and juvenile delinquency cases, teaches as an adjunct instructor at Oklahoma State University, and served as Kay County Bar Association president from 2021 to 2022, per the same source.

    Top Priorities
    • Says inefficient courts hurt victims most and calls for greater court efficiency.
    • Calls for more transparency in how the courts operate to build public trust.
    Per the campaign site.

    Campaign site · Full profile

  • Scott Loftis

    Scott Loftis is a Ponca City attorney who has been in private practice since 2006, after starting his career as a prosecutor for the Butler County Attorney's Office in Kansas, per his campaign site. He is an honors graduate of Wichita State University and Oklahoma City University School of Law and has practiced law in Oklahoma and Kansas since 2004, per the same source.

    Top Priorities
    • Campaigns on restoring public confidence in the courts through steady, independent judgment.
    • Says he will protect constitutional rights and apply the law fairly to all.
    Per the campaign site.

    Campaign site · Full profile

District Judge, District 14, Office 1

Voted only inside this court district or county. 2 candidates.

  • Caroline Wall Incumbent

    Caroline Wall is the sitting district judge for Tulsa County's Civil Docket G, per the Tulsa County District Court's website. She has served since 2014 and previously won this same seat over Tom Sawyer in the 2018 election, per Nondoc. No campaign website was found as of September 15, 2026.

    Full profile

  • Tom Sawyer

    Tom Sawyer is a Creek County assistant district attorney challenging incumbent Judge Caroline Wall for this Tulsa County seat, a rematch of their 2018 race, per Nondoc. No campaign website was found as of September 15, 2026.

    Full profile

District Judge, District 14, Office 4

Voted only inside this court district or county. 2 candidates.

  • Loretta Radford

    Loretta Radford is a Tulsa County special judge assigned to the Family Court docket, per the county court's website. She previously worked in private practice and for the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Northern District of Oklahoma, briefly serving as acting U.S. attorney there before retiring in 2019, per Nondoc. No campaign website was found as of September 15, 2026.

    Full profile

  • Dustin Allen

    Dustin Allen is a former prosecutor now practicing as a trial attorney, per his campaign site. He is a graduate of the University of Oklahoma and Hofstra University School of Law and was named to Super Lawyers Rising Stars from 2019 to 2021, per the same source.

    Top Priorities
    • Says he will apply the law as written, basing decisions on constitutional and statutory grounds rather than politics.
    • Calls for court efficiency, including expediting case movement and eliminating unnecessary delays.
    Per the campaign site.

    Campaign site · Full profile

District Judge, District 14, Office 12

Voted only inside this court district or county. 2 candidates.

  • Kevin Gray Incumbent

    Kevin Gray is the sitting district judge for Tulsa County's Civil Docket B, per the Tulsa County District Court's website. Before taking the bench, he served as a Tulsa County assistant district attorney and director of the office's homicide unit, prosecuting many of the county's highest-profile murder cases, per Nondoc. No campaign website was found as of September 15, 2026.

    Full profile

  • Christopher Camp

    Christopher Camp is a Tulsa attorney practicing general litigation and employment law, per his Super Lawyers profile. He graduated from the University of Tulsa College of Law in 1999 and was admitted to the Oklahoma bar in 2000, per the same source. No campaign website was found as of September 15, 2026.

    Full profile

District Judge, District 23, Office 2

Voted only inside this court district or county. 2 candidates.

  • Joseph Costa

    Joseph Costa is a Shawnee attorney and member of the Citizen Potawatomi Nation who previously served as a Tulsa County assistant district attorney, per Nondoc. He was licensed to practice law in 2020, per the same source. No campaign website was found as of September 15, 2026.

    Full profile

  • Troy Austin Officer

    Troy Austin Officer is a Shawnee attorney who founded Officer Law Firm, PLLC in 2022, per his campaign site. He represents dozens of families a month through the Oklahoma Indigent Defense System, tribal courts and the Department of Human Services, and is a Baylor Law School graduate, per the same source.

    Top Priorities
    • Pledges fair and impartial justice, applying the law without bias.
    • Says he will bring accountability and transparent, just sentencing to build public confidence.
    Per the campaign site.

    Campaign site · Full profile

Associate District Judge, Alfalfa County

Voted only inside this court district or county. 2 candidates.

  • Megan Hickman

    Megan Hickman is the municipal judge for the City of Cherokee, per Nondoc. She was admitted to the Oklahoma Bar Association in 2010 and spent five years as a prosecutor for the Alfalfa County District Attorney's Office, per the same source. No campaign website was found as of September 15, 2026.

    Full profile

  • Brian E. Mitchell

    Brian E. Mitchell is an assistant district attorney for Oklahoma's District 26, per Nondoc. No campaign website was found as of September 15, 2026.

    Full profile

Associate District Judge, Kiowa County

Voted only inside this court district or county. 2 candidates.

  • Kyle N. Eastwood

    Kyle N. Eastwood is the municipal judge for Verden and Binger, per Nondoc. No campaign website was found as of September 15, 2026.

    Full profile

  • Ricky A. Marsh

    Ricky A. Marsh has served as Kiowa County's associate district judge since winning election in 2018, per Nondoc. No campaign website was found as of September 15, 2026.

    Full profile

Associate District Judge, Logan County

Voted only inside this court district or county. 2 candidates.

  • Sierra Pfeiffer

    Sierra Pfeiffer is Deputy General Counsel for the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation, per her campaign site. She has 13 years of experience in Oklahoma's criminal justice system, including as a Logan County assistant district attorney, and earned her law degree with honors from the University of Oklahoma College of Law, per the same source.

    Top Priorities
    • Says she will apply the law as written, without activism or bias.
    • Emphasizes public safety and swift handling of probation-violation cases.
    Per the campaign site.

    Campaign site · Full profile

  • Diane Vaughan

    Diane Vaughan currently serves as Logan County's associate district judge after being sworn in to the post following a vacancy, per Guthrie News Page. She spent nearly eight years as an assistant district attorney in Payne and Logan counties and nearly 21 years in the Air National Guard, retiring as an assistant staff judge advocate after two Middle East deployments, per her campaign site.

    Top Priorities
    • Campaigns on upholding the Constitution and rule of law by deciding cases on facts and evidence.
    • Says she will ensure litigants and victims are treated with dignity throughout the judicial process.
    Per the campaign site.

    Campaign site · Full profile

Associate District Judge, Nowata County

Voted only inside this court district or county. 2 candidates.

  • James M Pfeffer

    James M Pfeffer is the first assistant district attorney for Oklahoma's District 11, per Bartlesville Radio. No campaign website was found as of September 15, 2026.

    Full profile

  • Linda Michelle Branstetter

    Linda Michelle Branstetter is a long-time Nowata County attorney who works as a public defender, per Bartlesville Radio. No campaign website was found as of September 15, 2026.

    Full profile

Associate District Judge, Washington County

Voted only inside this court district or county. 2 candidates.

  • Todd Cone

    Todd Cone is an attorney with 33 years of legal practice who has served 17 years as a municipal judge in Nowata and Oologah, per his campaign site. His law practice has covered civil litigation, probate, corporate formation, oil and gas matters and criminal cases, per the same source.

    Top Priorities
    • Says judges should interpret and apply the law rather than make policy.
    • Lists fairness, consistency, efficiency, integrity and accessibility as his core priorities on the bench.
    Per the campaign site.

    Campaign site · Full profile

  • Alan Wayne Gentges

    Alan Wayne Gentges is a former Bartlesville City Council member who serves as a municipal judge, per Nondoc. No campaign website was found as of September 15, 2026.

    Full profile

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