Trace Cole Sherrill was admitted to the Oklahoma bar in 1992 after graduating from the OU College of Law. He began his career in Durant and became a special judge in 1995. Elected associate district judge for Bryan County in 2019, he managed juvenile and probate dockets until his 2022 retirement. He is now a mediator. Commissioned in the U.S. Army Reserve in 2006 and now a lieutenant colonel in the Oklahoma National Guard, he serves as brigade judge advocate for the 45th Field Artillery Brigade. He is married to Dena, and they have two children: Ashley Armstrong and the late Colton Sherrill.