Hon. Douglas A. Kirkley is a district judge for the Fifteenth Judicial District in Oklahoma. He was elected to the seat in 2018.
The Fifteenth Judicial District includes the District Courts in Adair, Cherokee, Muskogee, Sequoyah, and Wagoner Counties.
At the time of his election, Kirkley presided as a special judge on the Wagoner County District Court, a position to which he was appointed in 2008.
Before joining the bench, he was an assistant district attorney for the 27th Prosecutorial District (2004 to 2008). As a prosecutor, Kirkley handled criminal cases and provided legal counsel to elected officials in Adair, Cherokee, Muskogee, Sequoyah, and Wagoner Counties.
He entered the public sector after working as a private practice attorney at the Boettcher, Ryan & Martin Law Firm and the Stipe Law Firm.
He received an A.A. from Murray State College (1982) and a B.A. in mass communication and journalism from East Central University (1988). Kirkley went on to complete a J.D. at Oklahoma City University School of Law in 1992. He was admitted to practice in Oklahoma (1992) and the United States District Court for the Eastern, Central, and Northern Districts of Oklahoma.
His memberships have included the Wagoner County Bar Association and the Muskogee County Bar Association. Kirkley was also a delegate for both associations to the Oklahoma Bar Association Annual Convention. In addition, he sat as a member of the Oklahoma Bar Association Bench and Bar Committee.
From a civic standpoint, Kirkley has been involved with the Coweta Lion’s Club, the Wagoner Rotary Club, and the Masonic Lodge of Coweta. He also served as a volunteer attorney coach for the Coweta High School Mock Trial Team.
Kirkley was raised in Tishomingo, Oklahoma, and attended Milburn High School. He and his wife, Regina, have two children and reside in Coweta, Oklahoma. Kirkley is a deacon for the First Baptist Church of Coweta.