An Oklahoma judge has resigned from her position following accusations of inappropriate conduct during a murder trial. District Judge Tracy Sostrom, who had only been a judge for a year before stepping down, was caught on camera texting and scrolling on Facebook during the trial of a 2-year-old's murder.
The State Supreme Court accused Sostrom of gross neglect of duty and bias, leading to her resignation. In an interview, she admitted to texting during the trial, stating that it was inappropriate regardless of the case's severity. An investigation discovered that she had exchanged over 500 text messages and emojis with a bailiff, including inappropriate comments about an eyewitness and mocking prosecutors. The texts included statements such as "this is dumb" during a witness examination and a desire to scream "Liar Liar" during eyewitness testimony.
The State Supreme Court deemed the texts evidence of a lack of temperament to serve as a judge. However, Sostrom claimed that her mind was not made up, as the jury acted as the fact-finder in the case. Despite this, she resigned to have the freedom to speak out against alleged misconduct in the judicial system. As part of her resignation, Sostrom agreed never to seek judicial office in Oklahoma again.
Source: Youtube
Oklahoma Judge Resigns After Being Caught Texting During Murder Trial of 2-Year Old
Staff Writer