District Judge Michael Tupper today announced his candidacy to seek a new term as District Judge for Oklahoma’s 21st Judicial District, Office 1, which serves Cleveland, Garvin, and McClain counties.
Judge Tupper has served his entire legal career in public service in the Cleveland County Courthouse, first as an assistant district attorney and later as a judge. He has served as a district judge since 2017, following eight years as a special judge beginning in 2009. With his current term set to expire at the end of this year, Judge Tupper has filed to seek a new four-year term.
“For more than two decades, my work has been focused on serving the citizens of District 21,” Tupper said. “This courthouse has truly become my life’s work, and it remains an honor to serve in a role that directly affects the lives of so many families in our community.”
Since joining the judiciary in 2009, Judge Tupper has advocated for effective judicial programs at the Oklahoma State Capitol and in Washington, D.C. He is known for his work developing and expanding Cleveland County’s drug treatment and wellness court programs.
These treatment court programs provide alternatives to incarceration for justice-involved individuals suffering from substance use disorders and mental illness.
In addition to his local work, Judge Tupper has served as a national advocate for treatment courts. In 2017 and 2018, he traveled to Washington, D.C., as Oklahoma’s judicial representative to the National Association of Drug Court Professionals’ Congressional Spring Fly-In.
In 2021, Judge Tupper was retained by the National Association of Drug Court Professionals as a faculty consultant, working with courts across the country to improve program structure, operations, and outcomes.
Beyond treatment courts, Judge Tupper presides over a high-volume civil and family law docket. In recognition of his work, he was named “Judge of the Year” by the Family Law Section of the Oklahoma Bar Association in 2020 and received the City of Norman Human Rights Commission’s Human Rights Award in 2024.
A 2002 graduate of the University of Oklahoma College of Law, Judge Tupper began his legal career in the Cleveland County District Attorney’s Office, where he prosecuted cases in the Major Crimes Unit. In 2006, he was named Professional Advocate of the Year by the Criminal Law Section of the Oklahoma Bar Association. In 2009, he was appointed as a special judge in the Cleveland County District Court, managing both criminal and civil cases.
Judge Tupper and his wife, Jennifer, have been married for 22 years and live in Norman with their three children. He is a parishioner at St. Thomas More Catholic Church. Outside the courthouse, Judge Tupper enjoys spending time with his family, running, cycling, hiking, live music, weekends at Grand Lake, and cheering on the Oklahoma Sooners.
