Hon. John G. Canavan is a district judge for the Twenty-Third Judicial District in Oklahoma. He was appointed to the bench by former Governor Brad Henry in January 2011.
The Twenty-Third Judicial District includes the District Courts in Lincoln and Pottawatomie Counties.
During his judicial tenure, Canavan has served as presiding judge of the North Central Administrative District (2013 to 2014).
Prior to his appointment, he was the founding attorney at Canavan & Associates, having opened the firm in 2003. Before that, he was a partner in the law firm of Henry, Canavan & Hopkin and was a member of the transition team for Governor Brad Henry. In addition to his private practice, Canavan served as a county attorney in Pottawatomie and Lincoln Counties (1996 to 2010) and a city attorney for the City of Shawnee (1992 to 2010).
He received a B.A. in law enforcement administration from the University of Oklahoma in 1976. Canavan went on to complete a J.D. at the University of Oklahoma College of Law in 1979. He was admitted to practice in Oklahoma, the United States Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit, and the United States District Court for the Western District of Oklahoma.
Early in his legal career, Canavan worked as a first assistant district attorney in Pottawatomie County (1981 to 1990).
His memberships have included the Oklahoma Judges Association (Director) and the American Bar Association (Judicial Division).
Canavan was a past trustee of the Oklahoma Law Enforcement Retirement System and St. Gregory University and a past chairman of the Oklahoma Employment Security Commission Review Board.
He was born in Fort Belvoir, Virginia. Canavan and his wife, Diane, have one daughter.