Governor Kevin Stitt announced the appointment of Burl O. “Bo” Estes to serve as Associate District Judge for Osage County on Friday.

In a statement, Gov. Stitt said:

“I am pleased to appoint Bo Estes to the Osage County District Court. Bo has dedicated his life to serving the residents of his community and will continue to serve with integrity and a strong commitment to uphold the rule of law in this new role."

Estes said:

"I am honored to be appointed by Governor Stitt to the District Judgeship. I look forward to serving the citizens of Osage County and to supporting and defending our constitution and the integrity of our judicial system."

Bo Estes has been in private practice in Bartlesville, Oklahoma since 2008. Estes graduated from the University of Oklahoma and earned his Juris Doctorate from the University of Tulsa College of Law. For the past twelve years, his private law practice has included criminal defense, family and domestic matters, probate, deprived child cases, and litigation matters. Estes also served as a criminal defense attorney for the Oklahoma Indigent Defense System. He’s been a contracting attorney for the Washington County Courts since 2008 representing parents, children, and others in deprived child cases. He’s focused his law practice to serve primarily the citizens of Osage, Washington, Pawnee and Nowata Counties, as well as being the City Attorney for Dewey, Oklahoma.

A life-long resident of Washington County, Estes is a member of the Osage County Bar Association, Pawnee County Bar Association, Washington County Bar Association and Oklahoma Bar Association.

Stuart Tate, District Judge for Osage County, had the following to say about Estes:

“Governor Stitt’s selection of Mr. Estes, from a slate of three superb candidates submitted by the Judicial Nominating Commission, will serve the citizens of Osage County well. Mr. Estes is a man of integrity and comes to the position with a substantial breadth of legal knowledge. He is a welcome addition to the bench and I look forward to working with him as a valued colleague.”

Washington County District Judge Linda Thomas said:

“Mr. Estes has a long history of well-serving the citizens of Osage County as an attorney, and now will bring his expertise and experience to the bench. The OK judiciary and the citizens of Osage County are fortunate to have Mr. Estes serving as their Associate District Judge.”