---
title: "W Keith Rapp | KnowJudges"
canonical: "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/w-keith-rapp-8185"
page_type: "judge_profile"
updated: "2026-10-07"
---

# W Keith Rapp

Oklahoma Court of Civil Appeals · Judge

## Profile

- Court: Oklahoma Court of Civil Appeals
- State: Oklahoma
- Role: Judge
- Service status: active
- Last verified: 2026-06-30

## Summary

Official statewide and applicable court procedural guidance applies to this judge.

## Biography

### Professional career

- Judge, Court of Civil Appeals of Oklahoma, 1984-present
- W. Keith Rapp (1934–2022) was an American attorney, aerospace engineer, and the longest‐serving judge on the Oklahoma Court of Civil Appeals, serving from 1984 until his death in 2022
- After this, he was a judge on the 14th District Court until he was appointed to the court of civil appeals in 1984.
- 14th Judicial District Judge in Tulsa
- After law school, Judge Rapp worked as a public defender and city prosecutor in Broken Arrow, Oklahoma.

### Education

- University of Tulsa College of Law — J.D.
- He later earned a J.D. from the University of Tulsa School of Law and an LL.M. from the University of Virginia

### Additional information

- Judge Rapp died August 16, 2022, at age 88, at his home in Tulsa.
- He won retention elections in 2014 (59.3% vote) and 2020 (64% vote)
- Retired from the Naval Reserves in 1994 as a Judge Advocate General Corps Commander, becoming the last person authorized to wear Combat Aircrew Wings earned on a Korean‐era carrier
- In 1984, Governor George Nigh appointed him to District 2, Office 2 of the Oklahoma Court of Civil Appeals — the state’s intermediate appellate court.
- Military service From 1953 to 1955, Rapp served in the Naval Reserves.
- From 1953 to 1955, Rapp served in the U.S. Navy as a navigator bombardier on two aircraft carrier tours off Korea and Formosa.
- Born May 2, 1934 in Wheelersburg, Ohio, Rapp earned his bachelor’s degree from Southwest Missouri State University (now Missouri State University) and took graduate courses in mathematics and statistics at universities in Missouri, Minnesota, and Arizona.
- He later worked as a municipal judge in Bixby and then an alternative municipal judge in Tulsa.
- He held a position as an aerospace engineer on major NASA projects — including Mercury, Gemini, Apollo, and Skylab — and on the Bomarc surface‐to‐air missile.

## Before you appear

- Read the judge-specific standing order first when one is listed.
- Check the docket and case orders for requirements that supersede broader guidance.
- Confirm current remote-access and courtroom technology arrangements before the proceeding.

## Courtroom Rules

### remote proceedings

Scope: statewide

Oklahoma Rule 34 authorizes videoconferencing in District Courts, subject to the presiding judge's discretion and case-specific limitations.

Evidence excerpt: The Supreme Court hereby authorizes and approves the use of videoconferencing in the District Courts of Oklahoma, as set forth in the following general provisions.

[Rule 34. Videoconferencing in the District Courts](https://www.oscn.net/applications/oscn/DeliverDocument.asp?CiteID=483384)
Source checked: 2026-07-26

### remote exhibits

Scope: statewide

Oklahoma Rule 34 permits documents and exhibits used in videoconference proceedings to be transmitted electronically, with original exhibits transferred after the proceeding unless the judge orders otherwise.

Evidence excerpt: Any pleading, other document, or exhibit used in a proceeding conducted by videoconferencing may be transmitted between the court's location and any remote site by electronic means, including, but not limited to, facsimile, scan, or email.

[Rule 34. Videoconferencing in the District Courts](https://www.oscn.net/applications/oscn/DeliverDocument.asp?CiteID=483384)
Source checked: 2026-07-26

### remote witness notice

Scope: statewide

For Oklahoma district-court videoconference witness testimony, Rule 34 generally requires a notice of intent 30 days before the proceeding and allows objections within 10 days, subject to judicial discretion.

Evidence excerpt: A proponent of a witness via videoconferencing technology at any hearing or trial shall file and serve on the opposing party a notice of intent to present testimony by videoconferencing technology at least thirty (30) days prior to the scheduled start of such proceeding.

[Rule 34. Videoconferencing in the District Courts](https://www.oscn.net/applications/oscn/DeliverDocument.asp?CiteID=483384)
Source checked: 2026-07-26

### courtroom electronic devices

Scope: statewide

Oklahoma's uniform civil jury instruction directs jurors not to use electronic devices while court is in session and prohibits texting, posting, blogging, or broadcasting about the trial.

Evidence excerpt: At this time, turn off all cell phones and other electronic devices. Do not use any electronic devices while court is in session in this case.

[Oklahoma Uniform Jury Instruction 1.0: Use of Electronic Devices and Research Prohibited](https://www.oscn.net/applications/oscn/DeliverDocument.asp?CiteID=479101)
Source checked: 2026-07-26


## Sources

- [Official profile](https://www.courtlistener.com/person/8185/w-keith-rapp/)
- [Official roster](https://www.courtlistener.com/person/8185/w-keith-rapp/)
- [Oklahoma Court of Civil Appeals current judicial profile](https://www.courtlistener.com/person/8185/w-keith-rapp/)
- [Rule 34. Videoconferencing in the District Courts](https://www.oscn.net/applications/oscn/DeliverDocument.asp?CiteID=483384)
- [Oklahoma Uniform Jury Instruction 1.0: Use of Electronic Devices and Research Prohibited](https://www.oscn.net/applications/oscn/DeliverDocument.asp?CiteID=479101)
- [CourtListener judicial biographical directory](https://www.courtlistener.com/person/8185/w-keith-rapp/)
- [Keith Rapp - Ballotpedia](https://ballotpedia.org/Keith_Rapp)

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