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February 16, 2024
This would possibly deserve a retrial…..
An Oklahoma choose stepped down from the bench Feb. 9 after she allegedly despatched over 500 texts throughout a June homicide trial she presided over, CNN reviews.
Lincoln County District Choose Traci Soderstrom agreed to resign as a part of a settlement with the state after being accused of inappropriate conduct on the bench and was petitioned to be faraway from workplace.
Through the trial, Soderstrom allegedly exchanged over 500 texts along with her bailiff wherein she mocked trial contributors and used offensive language to speak in regards to the state’s attorneys whereas presiding over the case.
The petition filed in October 2023 listed textual content messages the place Soderstrom made enjoyable of attorneys, jurors, and witnesses.
The investigation by the Council on Judicial Complaints additionally discovered that Soderstrom and the courtroom bailiff mocked a prosecutor’s appearances. In certainly one of their exchanges, the petition cited the choose saying that the district legal professional was “sweating via his coat.” In one other textual content message, Soderstrom requested, “Why does he have child arms?…/they’re so bizarre wanting.”
Soderstrom took a robust liking to the protection legal professional, texting her bailiff, “She’s superior,” earlier than later asking, based on the submitting, “Can I clap for her?” the submitting mentioned. She additionally confirmed sturdy admiration for a police officer who took the stand, stating he was “fairly””earlier than including, “I might take a look at him all day.””
Soderstrom additionally speculated if a juror sporting a wig. Through the trial, she provided her opinion of the end result, alleging writing there could be “no method they get responsible on homicide” as a result of an absence of DNA proof in opposition to the defendant.
Soderstrom was elected in November 2022 and served on the bench for under six months earlier than the homicide trial. Her prolonged checklist of accusations consists of gross neglect of obligation, gross partiality in workplace, and oppression in workplace, based on the submitting.
As a part of a press convention, Soderstrom took some accountability for her actions. “There have been some issues that I did inappropriately,” Soderstrom mentioned, based on ABC Information. “I texted throughout a trial. It doesn’t matter whether or not it was a site visitors case or whether or not it was a divorce case or whether or not it was a first-degree homicide case. I texted through the trial and that was inappropriate.”
Nonetheless, issues modified some as she defended how her texts had been characterised and disputed any bias on her.
“The content material and the insinuation and the quantity and the size of these issues I’m not agreeing to it as a result of it doesn’t matter,” she added. “And it didn’t make up my thoughts. Even when I had, it wouldn’t have mattered as a result of I used to be not the fact-finder.”
Exterior Soderstrom’s destiny, the defendant on trial was finally discovered responsible of second-degree manslaughter by the jury.
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