Gov. Mary Fallin has appointed Kory Slade Kirkland to a vacant district judge's seat in Caddo and Grady counties.
Kirkland, of Chickasha, has been in private practice since 2011 and serves as a municipal judge for the cities of Chickasha and Amber. Before that he worked as an assistant district attorney for Grady, Caddo, Stephens and Jefferson counties.
Kirkland serves as an adjunct professor at the University of Science and Arts of Oklahoma where he teaches juvenile justice and criminal law classes. He also is a longtime volunteer on Grady County's drug court team.
Fallin appointed Kirkland on Thursday and says his appointment is effective immediately. He replaces former District Judge Richard G. VanDyck, who retired.