An Oklahoma judge was placed on paid leave after security footage exposed her for allegedly scrolling on social media and sending over 500 text messages during a murder trial in July, in which a man was accused of killing a two-year-old child.
Judge Traci Soderstrom, 50, is facing backlash and has not returned to work since her suspension, NBC News reported. The chief justice of the Oklahoma Supreme Court is calling for her removal from the Lincoln County District, according to CBS News. Footage obtained by The Oklahoman shows Soderstrom allegedly scrolling on Facebook and texting for minutes at a time during the trial. She was texting her bailiff with messages mocking the prosecutor, praising the defense attorney and calling the key witness a liar, the outlet reported.
Soderstrom was sworn into the position Jan 9. Her four-year term, set to end in 2027, might come to an end if her alleged behavior is deemed unredeemable.
“It is both shocking and disappointing,” District Attorney Adam Panter said in a local newspaper, according to the Associated Press (AP). “Jurors are banned from using cellphones in the courtroom during trials because we expect them to give their full time and attention to the evidence being presented. I would expect and hope the court would hold itself to the same standard required of the jurors, regardless of the type of case.”
The suspect on trial, Khristian Tyler Martzall, received a second-degree manslaughter conviction in the 2018 death of Braxton Danker, AP reported. (RELATED: Video Shows Police Arresting Man Who Allegedly Stabbed Brother’s Friend To Death Over Weed)
The prosecutors Soderstrom was allegedly ridiculing via text asked jurors to find the man guilty of first-degree murder.
The Council on Judicial Complaints questioned Soderstrom regarding her alleged behavior, according to CBS. She said the texts “probably could have waited” until after the trial concerning the beating death of a two-year-old child.
“Judge Soderstrom takes these allegations very seriously. We are in the process of requesting the entire record from the Council on Judicial Complaints so that she can respond appropriately,” her attorney, Tracy Schumacher, told The Oklahoman.
