A result by Oklahoma voters that proved historic in 2024 opened the door for a judgeship that hasn’t been ajar in four decades.

The associate district judge in Kingfisher County is among those seeking the position.

Lance Schneiter was among 14 judges to submit an application to fill the Oklahoma Supreme Court for District 4.

The seat became vacant in November when Justice Yvonne Kauger, 87, lost a retention election in the general election.

Kauger was appointed to the seat in 1984 by Gov. George Nigh.

She was one of three justices on the ballot for retention during the general election and all three were targets of campaigns to oust them from their seats.

At least two political action committees (PACs) ran ads encouraging voters to vote “no” on all three justices, labeling them as liberals.

Gov. Kevin Stitt, who ultimately will select Kauger’s replacement, also voiced his support to remove the justices.

Of the more than 1.4 million votes cast, Kauger garnered 49.76 approval (or “yes” votes) for another six-year term.

That was about .24 percent (around 7,000 votes) shy of the majority needed, making her the first justice to ever lose a retention election in Oklahoma.

Two other justices narrowly kept their judgeships.

Justice James Edmondson (District 7) and Justice Noma Gurich (District 3) were retained.

Edmondson was able to pick up 51.01 percent “yes” votes while Gurich’s was a closer 50.26 percent.

Kauger’s ouster set in motion the wheels to find her replacement, the first of which was the application process.

That closed last month and the Oklahoma Judicial Nominating Commission announced Dec. 30 the 14 applicants.

Joining Schneiter in tossing their hat into the ring were: Aric Ammaron Alley of Buffalo, Scott Robert Biggs of Stillwater, Donna Lynn Dirickson of Weatherford, Louis Alvin Duel Jr. of Guthrie, Spencer Tracy Habluetzel of Wheatland, Paul Arthur Hesse of Mustang, Travis Verl Jett of Woodward, Michelle Kirby-Roper of Elk City, Mithun Suresh Mansinghani of Logan County, Nisha Moreau of Edmond, Jon Keith Parsley of Guymon, Chelsea Celsor Smith of Leedey and Stuart Lee Tate of Fairfax.

To be eligible, a person must be at least 30 years old, have been a qualified elector in their district for at least one year and a licensed practicing attorney or judge of a court of record for five years preceding the potential appointment.

Schneiter is 51 and was first elected to his Kingfisher County seat in 2018 (he was sworn in for the judgeship in January 2019).

He ran unopposed in 2022 and began his second term in January 2023.

A 1991 graduate of Shawnee High School, Schneiter attended Oklahoma State University and later obtained his undergraduate degree from the University of Central Oklahoma.

He graduated from the University of Oklahoma School of Law in 2002.

Over the next several years, Schneiter garnered experience at all levels of the judicial system as he tried cases at the state and federal level and even prebench sented oral arguments before both the Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals and the Oklahoma Supreme Court.

During his time with three large Oklahoma Citybased firms, Schneiter was named a Top 40 Litigator Under 40 and also recognized as a “Super Lawyer,” which is a list comprised of the top 5 percent of Oklahoma attorneys in nearly 60 practice areas.

Schneiter also received the highest possible rating from the Martindale-Huberal bell Attorney Peer Ratings and Client Reviews. While gathering those accolades and garnering worldwide experience representing major corporations like Ditch Witch, Schneiter lived in Okarche along with his wife Katie and their two children, Mackenzie and Quinn. Schneiter often found himself racing from downtown Oklahoma City to places such as Maple Elementary in Canadian County in the afternoon in order to catch one of his kids’ ballgames.

He knew a change was necessary.

“It was a lifestyle choice for me,” he said. “My family is more important than my job.”

So Schneiter made the decision to join Schulte, Schneiter & Gibson - a Kingfisher firm at which his wife is a partner - in 2013.

A door opened in 2018 when Robert Davis announced he was retiring from the bench in Kingfi sher County.

Schneiter felt qualified and eventually won the seat.

Now another opportunity has presented itself… one that is much more rare.

“The Oklahoma Supreme Court District 4 seat has been occupied for 40 years and presents a unique opportunity for qualified applicants,” Schneiter said.

“After prayerful consideration, I decided to apply.”

His work with the firms in Oklahoma City, here in Kingfisher and sitting on the bench - and the encouragement of several others - led Schneiter to start the application process.

“My extensive background in civil litigations as well as my time as a trial judge, handling every matter filed with the court, puts me in a unique position.

“If it’s God’s plan, I would be honored to serve the state of Oklahoma. If not, I’m honored to continue to serve the citizens of Kingfisher County.”

The 15-person Judicial Nominating Commission is comprised of Oklahoma Bar Association-elected attorneys and other political appointees.

The JNC will now begin its process, which includes a background check by the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation as well as an opportunity for the public to comment on the applicants.

The JNC then narrows the list to three recommendations and presents them to Stitt, who makes his selection from those three.

Stitt will have 60 days to make his selection once he’s presented that list.