Back in July, Oklahoma Judge Traci Soderstrom’s habit of scrolling her phone mid-murder trial came to light. The judge’s initial reaction to the controversy surrounding her phone habits was to… just MOVE THE CAMERA so she could scroll in peace. Yikes. But the chickens have now come home to roost.
As reported by PBS, the chief justice of the Oklahoma Supreme Court is recommending the removal of Soderstrom. The investigation by the Oklahoma Supreme Court Council on Judicial Complaints revealed that in addition to scrolling social media, Soderstrom exchanged 500 texts with the courtroom bailiff mid-trial.
So what were they texting that couldn’t wait until after the trial?
Texts included in a court filing showed the judge mocked prosecutors, laughed at the bailiff’s comment about a prosecutor’s genitals, praised the defense attorney and called the key prosecution witness a liar, according to the petition filed Tuesday by Chief Justice John Kane IV.
….
Soderstrom’s texts included saying the prosecutor was “sweating through his coat” during questioning of potential jurors and asking “why does he have baby hands?” according to Kane’s petition. The texts described the defense attorney as “awesome” and asked “can I clap for her?” during the defense attorney’s opening arguments.
This looks even worse that the initial reports indicated.
A hearing by the Court on the Judiciary will determine Soderstrom’s fate. She’s been suspended with pay pending the results of the hearing.
Kathryn Rubino is a Senior Editor at Above the Law, host of The Jabot podcast, and co-host of Thinking Like A Lawyer. AtL tipsters are the best, so please connect with her. Feel free to email her with any tips, questions, or comments and follow her on Twitter @Kathryn1 or Mastodon @Kathryn1@mastodon.social.
