Oklahoma Judge Faces Removal from Bench After Exchanging 500 Texts Mocking Lawyers and Witnesses

An Oklahoma judge, Traci Soderstrom, could potentially be permanently removed from her position after an investigation uncovered more than 500 text messages exchanged between her and a bailiff during a murder trial. The texts allegedly contained derogatory remarks about the physical appearance of lawyers, jurors, and witnesses, as well as biased comments in favor of the defendant and against state prosecutors. Chief Justice John Kane IV of the Oklahoma Supreme Court filed a petition on Tuesday recommending Soderstrom's removal.

Soderstrom, who was elected as district judge in Lincoln County in November, took the bench in January. The text messages in question were sent during a murder trial that began on June 7. According to Chief Justice Kane's petition, Soderstrom placed her personal cellphone in her lap, out of view of others in the courtroom, and continuously texted back and forth with the bailiff. The texts included mockery of the district attorney, praising the defense attorney, and calling a witness a liar.

During the trial, an Oklahoma man named Khristian Martzall was on trial for the first-degree murder of his girlfriend's 2-year-old son. The jury ultimately found Martzall guilty of a lesser charge, second-degree manslaughter, and sentenced him to time served. The child's mother, Judith Danker, had previously pleaded guilty to enabling child abuse and was sentenced to 25 years. Chief Justice Kane argued in his petition that Soderstrom's text messages gave the appearance that she believed Martzall was innocent and desired a specific outcome in the case.

The judge's use of her cellphone during the trial first gained public attention in July when security footage from the courtroom was published by The Oklahoman newspaper. The footage showed Soderstrom regularly texting and scrolling through Facebook. In response to the publicity, Soderstrom had the courtroom security camera moved to conceal her from view. However, when the camera was returned to its original position, a black box was added to block the bottom half of the viewing area, once again obscuring Soderstrom.

Chief Justice Kane's petition argues for Soderstrom's removal from the bench due to gross neglect of duty, gross partiality in office, and other grounds. He contends that her conduct has brought disrepute upon her office and diminished public confidence in the judiciary. Soderstrom has 20 days to respond to the petition, and a hearing on her potential removal has been scheduled for November 15 and 16. A trial date has been set for January 3, 2024.

Soderstrom's lawyer, Tracy Schumacher, stated that the judge takes the allegations seriously and is currently requesting the entire record from the Council on Judicial Complaints to prepare an appropriate response. Neither Soderstrom nor her attorney responded to requests for comment. The district attorney, Adam Panter, criticized Soderstrom's behavior, stating that it showed a lack of attention to evidence and an attempt to undermine the state's ability to prosecute a child killer.