LAWTON – Special District Judge Christine Galbraith and attorney Neil West were the top vote-getters in last Tuesday’s primary election for a new judge for District 5, Office 1, but neither of them finished with a majority of the vote.
A public defender, West finished first in a four-person race with 40.15% of the vote, according to unofficial results from the Oklahoma State Election Board. Galbraith, who has served as a special judge in Comanche County since 2023, came in second with 27.72%. Attorney Steven Crow was in third place with 20.96% of the vote, and attorney Tommy Sims came in fourth with 11.17%.
West and Galbraith will advance to the general election in November. The winner will replace former District Judge Emmit Tayloe, who retired earlier this year.
The District 5, Office 1, seat helps lead courthouses and adjudicates cases in Comanche, Cotton, Jefferson and Stephens counties.
Crow, Sims and West all ran for the district judge, Office 3, slot in 2022, according to the news outlet NonDoc. West advanced to the runoff but lost to Judge Jay Walker.
Galbraith
A Lawton resident, Galbraith earned her juris doctor degree from the Oklahoma City University School of Law and her bachelor’s degree from James Madison University, according to her campaign website. Her resume includes stints in private practice and as an assistant district attorney in Comanche County.
Galbraith’s career also included providing pro bono and contract services for Legal Aid Services of Oklahoma, and she served as courtappointed counsel in municipal cases, according to her campaign website. She has served as a special judge for Comanche County since she was appointed to the position in 2023.
“Her work on the bench has given her firsthand experience with the daily realities of courtroom administration, thoughtful decision — making and the responsibility judges owe to the people and communities they serve,” according to her campaign website.
West
After earning his degree from Oklahoma City University School of Law, West worked as Lawton’s assistant city attorney and city prosecutor.
West and his family have called Lawton home for more than 28 years, he wrote in a Feb. 20 post on his campaign Facebook page.
“Over the course of my legal career, I have had the privilege of serving our community in a variety of professional roles – as municipal prosecutor, assistant district attorney, Mental Health Court coordinator, public defender and private attorney,” he wrote.
As he prepares for the runoff vote, West will continue talking to voters about how his experience as an attorney and a community volunteer would translate to the bench, he said in an email to Southwest Ledger.
“My strategy all along has been a grassroots approach to talk to the voters — as many as I can — and highlight my diverse legal career and civic involvement, showing my character, and how that bodes well for me if I were elected judge,” he said. “I went to countless neighborhoods in 75 days, and I still couldn’t reach everyone. There’s plenty of work to be done talking to the voters.”
Eric Swanson is an award-winning journalist with more than 20 years’ experience covering local government and criminal justice in Oklahoma, North Dakota and Kansas. He can be reached at eric.swanson@swoknews.com.