Judges are a crucial part of the legal system and affect everything from criminal sentencing to a law’s constitutionality. On November 3, 2026, Oklahoma voters will be asked to weigh in on whether ten incumbent judges will retain their seats, as well as decide on which newcomer candidates get to gavel in next year.
To help you make informed decisions, we’ve compiled publicly-available information on each candidate. The information provided in this guide is to help Oklahomans not only research judges during elections but also if your case is before a particular judge. Who holds the gavel will greatly impact the course of a trial if facing prosecution or a lawsuit.
Click on each of the candidate profiles to view more information. Disclaimer: The information provided for each candidate has been compiled from publicly available information.
Featured guides are not endorsed by Metriarch®. They are for reference purposes only.
Visit the OK Voter Portal website to find your polling place, see your voting districts, view sample ballots, and more.
ADA = Assistant District Attorney
JD = Juris Doctorate (law degree)
District 4 Offices (Alfalfa, Blaine, Dewey, Garfield, Grant, Kingfisher, Major, Woods, and Woodward Counties)
District 5 Offices (Comanche, Cotton, Jefferson, & Stephens Counties)
District 7 Offices (Oklahoma County)
District 8 Offices (Kay and Noble Counties)
District 14 Offices (Tulsa & Pawnee Counties)
District 23 Offices (Lincoln & Pottawatomie Counties)
District Court Judges oversee almost all civil and criminal matters in their jurisdiction, including anything from divorces to homicides. There are 26 district court judicial districts in Oklahoma, which can have one or multiple district judges and serve one or multiple counties.
Elections for district judge are nonpartisan and happen every four years. Candidates for district judge must be a practicing lawyer or judge for at least the past four years and must live in the districts in which they seek election.
Associate District Court Judges also oversee many of the civil and criminal matters in their jurisdiction. There is one associate district judge per county.
Elections for associate district judge are nonpartisan and happen every four years. Associate judges must have been practicing lawyers or judges for at least the past two years and must live in the districts in which they seek election.
Alfalfa, Blaine, Dewey, Garfield, Grant, Kingfisher, Major, Woods and Woodward Counties
Judge Woodward was raised in Northwest Oklahoma. Woodward had an active general law practice in Enid. In April 2007, he left the firm of Traynor, Long, Wynne and Woodward to assume the position of Special Judge in Garfield County. In 2010, Judge Woodward ran unopposed for District Judge of Oklahoma's fourth judicial district.
Education:
He graduated from Enid High School in 1978. In 1982, he graduated from Oklahoma Christian College and entered law school at Oklahoma City University, graduating with his juris doctor degree in 1984.
Eric Edwards started his practice in Enid, Oklahoma, in 1993. He previously ran for office in 2018.
Education:
He received his B.S. in Agricultural Economics from Oklahoma State University in 1990 and his J.D. from OU in 1993.
Also on the ballot:
Statewide Judges
Oklahoma Supreme Court
Civil Court of Appeals
Comanche, Cotton, Jefferson, & Stephens County
Judge Christine Galbraith is a Lawton resident who serves as a Special Judge for the Comanche County District Court and brings more than a decade of legal experience to the bench. Her work on the bench has given her firsthand experience with the daily realities of courtroom administration, thoughtful decision-making, and the responsibility judges owe to the people and communities they serve.
Since taking the bench, Judge Galbraith has presided over multiple jury trials and a wide range of civil and criminal cases. She manages high-volume dockets while ensuring that each case receives thorough and objective consideration.
Her legal career includes private practice, Comanche County Assistant District Attorney, pro bono and contract services for Legal Aid Services of Oklahoma, and court-appointed counsel in municipal cases. Judge Galbraith's experience in the courtroom and on the bench has prepared her to carry out the responsibilities of District Judge with diligence, professionalism, and reasoned judgment.
Education:
Judge Galbraith earned her Juris Doctor degree from the Oklahoma City University School of Law and her bachelor's degree from James Madison University.
Neil West has lived in Lawton for more than 28 years. He has held positions as Lawton's Assistant City Attorney and City Prosecutor, as well as Assistant District Attorney and Mental Health Coordinator for Comanche County. He also practiced as a private attorney. West currently serves as a public defender for the Oklahoma Indigent Defense System. West previously ran for District 5, Office 3 in 2022. West summarized his campaign's message as "fairness, experience, and a dedication to follow the law."
Education:
Received his J.D. from Oklahoma City University School of Law in 1997.
Also on the ballot:
Statewide Judges
Oklahoma Supreme Court
Civil Court of Appeals
Oklahoma County
Assumed District 7 Office 10 in 2018. Before assuming office she was an assistant attorney general with the Office of the Oklahoma Attorny General and Assistant District Attorny in Oklahoma County.
Education:
She received her B.A. in Political Science from Oklahoma State University in 1983 and completed her J.D. at the University of Oklahoma College of Law in 1991.
The candidate Warren Pluck died in August and a special election needs to be called.
Also on the ballot:
Statewide Judges
Oklahoma Supreme Court
Civil Court of Appeals
Kay and Noble Counties
Rob Davis has had an 8 year career as a prosecutor. He is the Assistant District Attorney for the 8th Judicial District. He serves on the Oklahoma Uniform Jury Instruction Committee. He is also an Adjunct Instructor at Oklahoma State University.
Education:
He received his J.D. from the University of Colorado Law School.
C. Scott Loftis focuses his Oklahoma practice on representing clients in their cases involving personal injury and wrongful death, insurance disputes and bad faith, criminal defense, divorce and child custody. An honors graduate of the Oklahoma City University School of Law, Mr. Loftis offers individualized, personal attention for legal representation throughout the states of Oklahoma and Kansas.
Mr. Loftis is admitted to practice within the states of Oklahoma and Kansas as well as before the 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, U.S. District Court of Kansas, and the Northern, Eastern and Western U.S. District Courts of Oklahoma. He is a member of the American Bar Association, American Association for Justice, Oklahoma Association for Justice, Oklahoma Criminal Defense Lawyers Association and the Oklahoma and Kansas Bar Associations.
Education:
Wichita State University, 2000
Oklahoma City University School of Law, 2003
Also on the ballot:
Statewide Judges
Oklahoma Supreme Court
Civil Court of Appeals
Tulsa and Pawnee Counties
Judge Wall was appointed as an associate district judge for the Tulsa County District Court in 2003. During her tenure, she served as chief of the Tulsa County Criminal Courts in 2005. She also practiced law in private practice.
Education:
She received her bachelor's degree in psychology from Northwestern in 1986 and her J.D. at Loyola University Chicago School of Law in 1990.
Tom Sawyer is a Creek County district attorney. He ran for the same judgeship in 2018 and lost to Caroline Wall.
Education:
Loyola Law School, Los Angeles, J.D.
Also on the ballot:
Statewide Judges
Oklahoma Supreme Court
Civil Court of Appeals
Dustin Allen is a former prosecutor, trial attorney, and business owner for over a decade.
Education:
University of Oklahoma and Hofstra University School of Law.
Judge Radford currently serves as a special judge for Tulsa County. She has previously worked in private practice and for the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Northern District of Oklahoma. She briefly served as the Acting U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Oklahoma during the first Trump Administration, retiring in 2019. She served on the Oklahoma County Jail Trust for about a year, stepping down when she was named Special Judge in Tulsa County.
Education:
Judge Radford attended the University of Oklahoma College of Law and was admitted to the bar in 1985.
Also on the ballot:
Statewide Judges
Oklahoma Supreme Court
Civil Court of Appeals
For over 26 years, Christopher Camp has skillfully represented both plaintiffs and defendants throughout all phases of litigation, trial, and appeal. Camp handles a wide variety of civil matters, focusing on complex business litigation, civil rights, insurance bad faith, employment law, HOA disputes, and Open Meeting Act/Open Records Act violations. Camp regularly appears and tries cases in state and federal court, and frequently argues before the Oklahoma Supreme Court and U.S. Court of Appeals, where he has successfully prosecuted dozens of appeals. His professional leadership extends beyond the courtroom, having served on the ABA House of Delegates, TCBA Board of Directors, TCBF Board of Trustees, and Board of Governors of the Oklahoma Bar Association, which honored Camp as 2008’s “Outstanding Young Lawyer.”
Education:
University of Tulsa, B.A., English Education, 1995
University of Tulsa College of Law, J.D. 1999
Judge Gray is running for Reelection. Prior to his election win Judge Gray served as an Assistant District Attorney for Tulsa County as the Director of the Homicide unit.
Education:
Judge Gray attended Tulsa Public Schools. He double majored in history and political science at the University of Tulsa, where he was a Presidential Scholar. He obtained his Master of Public Service Administration from the Bush School at Texas A&M University, and received his J.D. from the University of Tulsa Law School.
Also on the ballot:
Statewide Judges
Oklahoma Supreme Court
Civil Court of Appeals
Lincoln and Pottawatomie Counties
Joseph Costa operates his own law practice out of Shawnee.
Education:
He graduated with a B.A. from OU and his J.D. from Oklahoma City University School of law.
Troy founded Officer Law Firm in 2022 and practices criminal, family, property, and civil law. He served with the Shawnee Family YMCA and is on the board of the United Way of Eastern Frontier County.
Education:
Troy earned his bachelor's in biochemistry from Oklahoma Baptist University and his J.D. from Baylor Law School.
Also on the ballot:
Statewide Judges
Oklahoma Supreme Court
Civil Court of Appeals
Brian Mitchell is an Iraq War Veteran and former Judge Advocate who served on the Oklahoma Military Court of Appeals, an appellate court that reviews state court martials of members of the Oklahoma National Guard. Since 2003, he has been a prosecutor and is currently the first assistant district attorney for DA Chris Boring in District 26.
Education:
He was admitted to the bar in 1999
Judge Hickman is the Municipal Judge for the City of Cherokee. Before that, she was a city attorney and assistant district attorney.
Education:
Judge Hickman received her J.D. from the University of Oklahoma College of Law and was admitted to the bar in 2010
Also on the ballot:
Statewide Judges
Oklahoma Supreme Court
Civil Court of Appeals
Judge Marsh has been the Associate District Judge for Kiowa County since 2019. Prior to joining the court, Judge Marsh was an assistant district attorney in Kiowa County; he was part-time in 2003 and started full-time in 2011.
Education:
He received his bachelors in Agricultural Economics from Oklahoma State University in 1981 and completed his J.D. from the University of Oklahoma College of Law in 1984.
Kyle Eastwood earned his law degree from Oklahoma College of Law and was admitted to the bar in 2010. He is a sixth-generation Kiowa County Resident. He has been the Municipal Judge for the Communities of Verden and Binger.
Education:
He earned his law degree from the Oklahoma College of Law.
Also on the ballot:
Statewide Judges
Oklahoma Supreme Court
Civil Court of Appeals
Sierra Pfeiffer is currently the Deputy General Counsel for the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation and has worked as an Assistant District Attorney for Logan County, as a staff attorney for the Oklahoma Bureau of Narcotics, and as Counsel to the Commissioners of Oklahoma Tax Commission. Her husband is State Representative John Pfeiffer.
Education:
She received her J.D. from the University of Oklahoma College of Law.
Judge Vaughn served nearly 21 years in the Air National Guard, retiring as an Assistant Staff Judge Advocate. She currently serves as the Logan County Special Judge. She has also owned a private practice and served as an Assistant District Attorney in Logan County.
Also on the ballot:
Statewide Judges
Oklahoma Supreme Court
Civil Court of Appeals
Linda Branstetter is a public defender and has served as a municipal judge for Avant and owned a private practice. She has the longest career of the candidates.
Education:
She received her bachelors from Oklahoma State University and her J.D. from Oklahoma City School of Law. She was admitted to the bar in 1994.
James Pfeffer is currently an assistant district attorney for Nowata County but has also been an assistant district attorney for Tulsa County.
Also on the ballot:
Statewide Judges
Oklahoma Supreme Court
Civil Court of Appeals
Judge Cone has served the last 17 years as municipal judge for Nowata, and for the past 8 years in Oologah. He has experience in General civil litigation, wills, trusts, and probate matters, title examinations and contract drafting, corporate formations and business agreements, insurance bad faith cases, oil and gas litigation, foreclosures and class actions, and criminal proceedings.
Judge Gentges currently serves as a municipal judge for Bartlesville and is a former city councilor.
Education:
Judge Gentges received his B.A. in Southwest Missouri State and his J.D. from the University of Tulsa
Also on the ballot:
Statewide Judges
Oklahoma Supreme Court
Civil Court of Appeals
Justice Darby 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.
Education:
Justice Darby earned his law degree from the University of Oklahoma in 1984.
Justice Kuehn was appointed to the Supreme Court by Governor Stitt on July 26, 2021. Before being appointed to the Court, she was serving a 2-year term as Presiding Judge of the Oklahoma Court of Criminal Appeals. She was appointed to the Court of Criminal Appeals by Governor Mary Fallin. She is the first woman in Oklahoma history to serve on both courts of last resort.
Education:
Justice Kuehn earned a B.S. in Political Science from Oklahoma State University and her J.D. from the University of Tulsa College of Law.
Justice Kane was appointed to the Oklahoma Supreme Court by Governor Kevin Stitt. He has served as both the Chief Justice and Vice-Chief Justice of the Oklahoma Supreme Court.
Education:
Justice Kane earned a B.S. Degree from Oklahoma State University and his J.D. from the University of Oklahoma College of Law.
On April 14, 2025, Governor Kevin Stitt (R) appointed Travis Jett to the Oklahoma Supreme Court to replace Justice Yvonne Kauger, who retired on December 1, 2024.
Jett is a fourth-generation Oklahoman. Jett was elected to serve as the National FFA President for the 490,000-member strong organization in 2005.
Education:
He graduated from Oklahoma State University in 2008 with a Bachelor of Science in Agribusiness. He later earned his Juris Doctor from the Georgetown University Law Center in 2011.
Retained
Also on the ballot:
Oklahoma Court of Civil Appeals
Oklahoma Court of Criminal Appeals
Judge Barnes was a staff attorney for former state Supreme Court Justice Ralph Hodges, and has worked in civil litigation, administrative law, and commercial and business law. She was Vice President, corporate Secretary and associate general counsel at Oneok and has worked at Crutchmer, Browers, & Barnes since 2002.
Appointed by Governor Henry in 2008. Retained in 2010, 2014, and 2020
Education:
Received her bachelor's degree from the University of Oklahoma and her J.D. from Oklahoma City University School of Law
Before joining the bench, Huber worked as an associate with Malloy & Associates in Tulsa. In 1995, he opened his own firm and later served as the managing partner of Collier and Huber representing businesses and individuals in employment and commercial litigation matters. Huber left private practice in 2019 upon being selected by the District Judges of Tulsa County to serve as a Special Judge.
Appointed by Governor Stitt in April 2023; Judge Huber has served as a Tulsa County District Judge since 2020 and is the Chief Judge of the Family Court Division where he supervises six special judges while presiding over a family court docket and youthful offender criminal docket.
Education:
Judge Huber graduated from the University of Oklahoma in 1990 and received his law degree from the University of Tulsa in 1993. Huber was born and raised in Tulsa.
Prior to joining the bench, Hixon was a partner at the Steidley & Neal law firm. Hixon’s focus at the firm was legal research and writing, insurance, product liability, employment law and general civil litigation.
Published decisions authored by Hixon indicate a strong reliance on evidentiary record established by the lower courts.
Judge Hixon was appointed to the appellate court on March 10, 2020, by Governor Stitt to replace Jerry Goodman.
Education:
Judge Hixon earned her B.A. from Oklahoma State University in1996, a M.A. from Oklahoma State University in 1997 and a J.D. from the University of Oklahoma in 2002.
Wiseman began her legal career during law school as a clerk for the firm Rosenstein, Fist & Ringold. She later became a legal intern and then an associate until 1975. She then worked as a sole practitioner until January 1977. She was appointed a special judge of Tulsa County that month and worked in this position until 1981, when she became a district judge in District 14 (Tulsa County). On this court, she worked in the Family Relations Division and then the Civil Division. She served on this court until she was appointed to the court of civil appeals.
Appointed by Henry in 2005 and was retained in 2006, 2014, 2020. Current term ends Jan 2027.
Education
Received a B.A. from Cornell University and an M.A. from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Received her JD from University of Tulsa College of Law.
Judge Robert L. Hudson was appointed to the Court on March 11, 2015 by Governor, Mary Fallin.
Education:
Received his undergrand from Oklahoma State in 1980 and his JD from the University School of Law in 1983.
Retained
Judge Lumpkin served on active duty in the U.S. Marine Corps from 1968-1971, serving 18 months in Vietnam. He retired with thirty years of service on June 1, 1998, with the rank of Colonel in the Marine Corps Reserve. He completed his military service as one of only two Marine Reserve judges assigned to the Navy-Marine Corps Court of Criminal Appeals. After working as a staff attorney with the Oklahoma Department of Consumer Affairs and a consultant with a non-profit organization, he was appointed Assistant District Attorney, Marshall County, in 1976, and subsequently First Assistant District Attorney, 20th District. Judge Lumpkin served as Associate District Judge, Marshall County, 1982-1985, and District Judge, 20th Judicial District, Division II, 1985-1989. Appointed to the Court of Criminal Appeals by Governor Henry Bellmon, he commenced his service on the Court in January 1989.
Education:
Received his Undergrad from Southwestern State College in 1968 and his JD from Oklahoma School of Law in 1974.
Retained
Also on the ballot:
Oklahoma Supreme Court
Oklahoma Court of Civil Appeals
