Meet John O’Connor, The Tulsa Attorney Named Oklahoma’s New Attorney General

Tulsa attorney John O’Connor, named Oklahoma’s new Attorney General, has 40 years of experience in the field of law.

He’s an attorney based in Tulsa and a TU Law graduate.

Oklahoma Governor Kevin Stitt is a big fan of new Attorney General John O'Connor.

"I personally have known John for over 20 years,” said Stitt. “He was a mentor to me when I was a young CEO here in Tulsa running my company."

Tulsa native O’Connor was most recently a partner at the law firm Hall Estill.

In addition to his law work, O'Connor has served as a state liaison for the national prayer breakfast, served as President of Tulsa's Ronald McDonald House, the President of Tulsa Rotary Club and was on the board of Trustees for OSU-Tulsa.

Related Story: Governor Kevin Stitt Appoints Tulsa Attorney John O’Connor As State Attorney General

In 2018, his name made national news when President Trump nominated him as a District Judge for the Northern and Eastern Districts of Oklahoma. But he failed to pass a Senate panel after the American Bar Association gave him a rare "not qualified" rating.

The Bar Association said in their report, O'Connor lacked litigation experience and the ABA questioned his fitness to perform as a judge.

They also raised ethical concerns claiming O'Connor overbilled some of his clients.

That criticism though, is seen as a positive by Oklahoma Senator Jim Inhofe, who said he's a long-time friend of O'Connor.

"A lot of people don't like him and say, ‘well wait a minute he didn't get a good rating from the bar association’ and I say bravo,” said Inhofe. “That's the best thing that could happen to you, because they are so inclined on the left.”

Governor Stitt also released a statement about the ABA’s rating.

"I have zero concerns about the opinion of an out-of-state, liberal special interest group, and I have the utmost confidence that John O'Connor's high moral character, 40 years of legal experience and willingness to fight for all 4 million Oklahomans make him the right choice." -- Gov. Kevin Stitt