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Candidate

Dana Kuehn

Independent · Incumbent

Vice Chief Justice, Oklahoma Supreme Court, District 6

Dana Kuehn has been the District 6 justice on the Oklahoma Supreme Court since Governor Kevin Stitt appointed her in July 20214, and she was elected Vice Chief Justice for the two-year term that began January 1, 20253. She previously served on the Oklahoma Court of Criminal Appeals and as a Tulsa County associate district judge4. This is a nonpartisan retention question: voters answer yes or no on keeping the judge, and no party is listed on the ballot9.

  • Justice, Oklahoma Supreme Court, District 6, since 2021; Vice Chief Justice for the two-year term beginning January 1, 20253
  • Judge, Oklahoma Court of Criminal Appeals, 2017 to 2021; Vice Presiding Judge 2018 to 2020 and Presiding Judge in 20214
  • Associate District Judge, Tulsa County, 2006 to 2017, including chief of the civil division from 2010 to 201234
  • Felony prosecutor in the Tulsa County District Attorney's Office for ten years, where she headed the Crimes Against Children Unit; associate at Steidley and Neal, 1999 to 20003
  • JD, University of Tulsa College of Law, 1996; BA in political science, Oklahoma State University3
  • Appointed to the Court of Criminal Appeals in 2017 by Governor Mary Fallin3 and retained on that court in November 20185. Appointed to the Supreme Court by Governor Kevin Stitt on July 26, 202134, succeeding Justice Tom Colbert5. The Judicial Nominating Commission had named three finalists for that vacancy: Kuehn, Stacie Hixon and Rebecca Nightingale6. Voters retained her on the Supreme Court in November 20225. Her current term ends January 11, 2027, so the 2026 vote decides whether she serves a new six-year term2.
  • Oklahoma Call for Reproductive Justice v. Drummond (March 21, 2023): in a 5 to 4 decision, the court's majority held that the Oklahoma Constitution protects a woman's right to end a pregnancy when necessary to preserve her life. Kuehn was one of the four dissenting justices. In her separate dissent, joined by Vice Chief Justice Rowe, she wrote that the Oklahoma Constitution does not include a right to abortion and that the question belongs to the people or their elected representatives87.

Record

  • The State Election Board's November 3, 2026 election list includes the retention question for this seat, and its terms of office list shows the seat on the 2026 retention ballot12.

Last reviewed 2026-10-06. Spotted something wrong? Every claim links to its source so you can check it yourself.

Sources (10)

Every claim on this page links to one of these
  1. November 3, 2026 List of Elections (Cleveland County section lists each judicial retention question by court and district; judges are not named)Oklahoma State Election Board
  2. State of Oklahoma Terms of Office (3/2025), Judicial/Nonpartisan sectionOklahoma State Election Board
  3. Vice-Chief Justice Dana KuehnOklahoma Supreme Court
  4. Governor Kevin Stitt Appoints Judge Dana L. Kuehn to The Supreme Court of Oklahoma (July 26, 2021)Office of the Governor of Oklahoma
  5. Dana KuehnBallotpedia
  6. Oklahoma Supreme Court justice vacancy (February 2021)Ballotpedia
  7. Your State-by-State Guide to the 2026 Supreme Court ElectionsBolts
  8. Oklahoma Call for Reproductive Justice v. Drummond, 2023 OK 24, Case No. 120543, decided March 21, 2023 (copy of the OSCN opinion, with the vote lineup and each separate dissent)Oklahoma Supreme Court (copy hosted by the Brennan Center for Justice)
  9. Oklahoma Retention Ballot (CourtFacts, a voter information site created by the Oklahoma Bar Association)Oklahoma Bar Association
  10. Council on Judicial ComplaintsState of Oklahoma