An Oklahoma judge reportedly sent 500 text messages during a toddler’s murder trial, and some of the messages included calling the victim’s mother a “liar, lair” and criticizing prosecutors.
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Surveillance footage from June caught Lincoln County District Judge Traci Soderstrom sending multiple text messages during the murder trial of two-year-old Braxton Danker. The boy’s mother, Judith Danker, reportedly sobbed while taking the stand since prosecutors listed her as a critical witness and testified against her son’s killer, boyfriend Khristian Martzall. According to the New York Post, Soderstrom said in one message that the “State just couldn’t accept that a mom could kill their kid, so they went after the next person available.”
Other alleged messages included questions about a juror’s apparent wig and calling a police officer who testified “pretty.” Soderstrom also talked about District Attorney Adam Panter and said he was sweating through his coat during the trial. There was one message where she sent a laughing emoji to the bailiff after making a disturbing joke about Panter’s genitals.
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The recently sworn-in judge allegedly told the bailiff about the sentencing and said Martzall could get a second-degree manslaughter charge but would spend two to four years in jail. In response, the bailiff stated that Martzall already served a similar sentence. At the end of the trial, he was convicted of second-degree manslaughter and sentenced to four years with credit for time served. Danker pleaded guilty to enabling child abuse and was sentenced to serve 25 years in prison.
Chief Justice John Kane IV filed in court Thursday to have Soderstrom removed from her position after an investigation by the state’s Council on Judicial Complaints. While questioned about the text messaging, Soderstrom said her texting could’ve waited after the trial and added, “oh, that’s funny, move on.” Kane wrote in the filing that Soderstrom displayed gross negligence of duty and lack of temperament to serve as a judge.
Panter added his thoughts on Soderstrom’s text messages and said she “attempted to undermine the State’s ability to successfully prosecute a child killer.” Soderstrom is temporarily suspended from her position, but her attorney said she’s taking the allegations very seriously and requested her record to investigate further.
There are several reasons why it is prohibited for judges to use their cell phones during court sessions. If a judge is using their cell phone to check social media or to read news articles, this could give them access to information irrelevant to the case as it can affect their decision-making process. Furthermore, if a judge uses their cell phone to communicate with someone outside the courtroom, this could be seen as an ex-parte communication. Ex-parte communications are prohibited in most jurisdictions because they can give one party an unfair advantage in the case. Using a cell phone in court can be distracting, disrespectful, and create the appearance of impropriety. There are also security concerns associated with judges using cell phones in court.
