Tulsa County judge to join criminal appeals court

Gov. Mary Fallin on Wednesday announced the appointment of Judge Dana Kuehn to the Court of Criminal Appeals.

Kuehn, of Tulsa, succeeds Judge Clancy Smith.

Kuehn, a former prosecutor, has served as a Tulsa County associate district judge since 2006, where she presides over civil litigation.

Before moving to handle civil cases in 2009, she presided over criminal felony cases, including two death-penalty cases.

She has 17 years of trial experience in the criminal and civil divisions in Tulsa County District Court.

Since 2001, she has served as an adjunct professor of law at the University of Tulsa College of Law.

“Judge Dana Kuehn is a proven and effective leader who exemplifies integrity and following the rule of law,” Fallin said. “Judge Kuehn has worked to ensure that dangerous criminals are locked up, while at the same time supporting programs that provide an alternative punishment for nonviolent offenders, such as the successful Women in Recovery project in Tulsa. She is also known for being fair, respectful and courteous, both as a prosecutor and as a judge.”

Kuehn previously served seven years as a Tulsa County assistant district attorney. Prior to that, she worked two years as an associate in a Tulsa private law firm.

“A career path is the evolution of different experiences,” Kuehn said. “My path includes experiences as a student of the law, a practitioner of the law as a prosecutor and an associate lawyer, a teacher of the law as an adjunct professor, and an upholder of the law a trial judge.

“My experiences have prepared me to serve the state of Oklahoma as an appellate judge. I am honored and humbled that the governor has selected me for this important and solemn assignment.”

Kuehn earned a bachelor’s degree in political science from Oklahoma State University and a law degree from the University of Tulsa College of Law.