Dustin Allen, an Owasso attorney, is running for Oklahoma District Court Judge in District 14, Office 4. The nonpartisan seat appears on the Nov. 3 general election ballot.

Loretta Radford is also running.

Asked why he is seeking the bench, Allen said in our candidate questionnaire: "… I want to use my unique professional background and education to help make positive changes for this community moving forward. We need to improve our Judiciary with real world experience, understanding of life, and the equal protection of the Constitution and rights for all. I will be accessible, accountable and working hard every day for the citizens of Tulsa County."

Candidate information

Residence: Owasso, Oklahoma

Party affiliation: "Republican," Allen said in our questionnaire. The judicial race is nonpartisan.

Education: Allen said in our questionnaire that he earned a "Bachelor of Arts, with Honors" in "Criminal Justice and Political Science" from the University of Oklahoma, attending from 1999 to 2003, followed by a "Juris Doctor" from Hofstra University School of Law from 2003 to 2006. He attended Bishop Kelley High School, according to NonDoc.

Family: "I am very blessed to be married to my beautiful wife, Rissa, with whom we have four gorgeous girls as well," Allen said in our questionnaire.

Experience and public service

Allen joined the Oklahoma Bar Association in 2011, according to NonDoc. He served as an assistant district attorney in Tulsa County from June 2011 to February 2012 and as a prosecutor in Wagoner County from February 2015 to July 2015, according to the same report.

Asked about his work history, Allen said in our questionnaire: "I am currently a small business owner who has successfully owned and operated The Allen Law Firm, PLLC for the past 11 years. … Prior to that I was an assistant District Attorney for Tulsa, Wagoner and Cherokee Counties, as well as an assistant public defender for Tulsa County. I am one of the few attorneys in the state to have been both an ADA and a PD, and to have my own law firm for almost a dozen years now as well."

Allen's campaign website says he was selected to Super Lawyers Rising Stars from 2019 to 2021.

His campaign website lists endorsements from the Tulsa Police Department Fraternal Order of Police, the Broken Arrow Police Department FOP, the Tulsa County Sheriff's Office FOP, the Owasso FOP, the Collinsville Police Department FOP, the Skiatook Police Department FOP, Tulsa County Sheriff Vic Regalado and the Tulsa Fire Department IAFF Local 176.

On the issues

Accomplishments: Asked what evidence he can handle the job, Allen said in our questionnaire: "I have successfully owned and operated my solo practice law firm with thousands of cases and clients all over the state of Oklahoma for over 11 years now. Prior to that I was in charge of managing high volume case loads in multiple counties as an assistant District Attorney and Tulsa County PD as well."

Court efficiency: Asked what steps he would take to move cases faster, Allen said in our questionnaire: "… I have seen and know firsthand what works and doesn't work. I know the importance and value of someone's personal time. … Not to be unnecessarily wasting time in court. Some prior judges have had dockets backed up and delayed falling years behind on cases because they were too afraid to make decisions, too preoccupied with extra curricular activities and not doing their jobs at the courthouse."

Neutrality and endorsements: Asked how defendants and civil litigants would see him as neutral given his law enforcement endorsements, Allen said in our questionnaire: "I would of course recuse myself from any case before me in which any personal relationship would even give the slightest appearance of any possible impropriety."

Key differences: Asked what sets him apart, Allen said in our questionnaire: "I have by far the most unique and varied occupational background and real world experiences. I will bring energy and knowledge to the bench. … I will be firm but fair and honest and appropriate at all times."