Free Republic

OKLAHOMA CITY—An Oklahoma judge agreed to step down Friday after she was caught sending hundreds of texts from the bench while overseeing a murder trial in the killing of a 2-year-old boy, including messages that mocked prosecutors and were sprinkled with emojis. District Judge Traci Soderstrom also agreed to not seek judicial office again in Oklahoma under a proposed settlement agreement filed with the Oklahoma Court on the Judiciary. She had faced removal from the bench over accusations that included gross neglect of duty, oppression in office, lack of proper temperament, and failure to supervise her office. Judge Soderstrom had...

An Oklahoma judge was caught on video consistently using her phone during the trial of a murdered 2-year-old, as his mother cried on the stand testifying against her boyfriend. Oklahoma District 23 Judge Traci Soderstrom has been accused of scrolling through social media, texting and even searching for a GIF during a trial last month, according to a courtroom surveillance video obtained by The Oklahoman. Throughout the 50-minute-long video, Soderstrom holds her phone below the judge’s bench, texting or scrolling through Facebook, every once in a while jotting down notes while her phone remains lit on her lap. At one...