Dana L. Kuehn

2025 Hall of Fame

B.A. Political Science '93

 

Vice Chief Justice Dana L. Kuehn serves on the Oklahoma Supreme Court and is the first woman in Oklahoma history to serve on both of the state’s courts of last resort — the Supreme Court and the Court of Criminal Appeals. In 2025, she became the first person to hold leadership roles on both courts. She was also appointed to the Oklahoma Court on the Judiciary (Appellate Division), making her the first Oklahoman to serve in all four judicial roles: trial judge, appellate judge on both high courts, and member of the Court on the Judiciary. 

A Tulsa native, Justice Kuehn earned her B.A. in political science with a minor in economics from Oklahoma State University, where she was a top ten senior in the College of Arts and Sciences. She served as President of Kappa Alpha Theta, was an NCA All-American on the Pom Squad, and held leadership roles in Blue Key, Order of Omega, and the Arts & Sciences Student Council. She is a Lifetime Alumni Member, a member of Women for OSU, the OSU Parent Council, and was inducted into the Department of Student Affairs Hall of Fame. 

She received her J.D. from the University of Tulsa College of Law in 1996, where she was a member of the Tulsa Journal of Comparative & International Law, earned multiple CALI Awards, and competed on national mock trial teams. She was inducted into the TU College of Law Hall of Fame in 2017 and received the Tom Coffman Award for Community Service. Two academic programs bear her name: the Justice Kuehn Colloquium on Civility & Ethics and the TU Symposium on Justice & Law. 

Justice Kuehn began her legal career as a Tulsa County prosecutor, leading the Crimes Against Children Task Force and serving as Chief of the Juvenile Bureau. She prosecuted over 2,000 felony cases. Elected Associate District Judge in 2006, she presided over both criminal and civil dockets, served as Chief of the Civil Division, and earned numerous recognitions including ABOTA Trial Judge of the Year, the Mona Salyer Lambird Spotlight Award, and the Tulsa County Bar Presidential Excellence Award. She joined the Court of Criminal Appeals in 2017, serving as Presiding and Vice-Presiding Judge. 

She has been an adjunct professor at the University of Tulsa College of Law for over 20 years, mentoring students through the Judicial Internship Program. She currently serves on the Board of Trustees for TU and is past president of the TU Law Alumni Board. 

A frequent speaker on constitutional law, appellate practice, judicial ethics, and youth intervention, she has presented at legal conferences, community events, and judicial symposia across the country, including programs hosted by NYU, George Mason, and Northwestern Law. 

She and her husband, Patrick, are proud parents of four sons: Carter, Zachary, Christopher and Nicholas.