Oklahoma Supreme Court Chief Justice Files Petition To Remove Lincoln Co. Judge

The Chief Justice of the Oklahoma Supreme Court has filed a petition requesting that a judge in Lincoln County should be removed from office for negligence related to her behavior during a trial in June.

Judge Traci Soderstrom was first seen on video captured by The Oklahoman texting and scrolling through social media, after asking jurors to power off their own phones during the trial.

The trial, in which Khristian Tyler Martzall was accused of killing 2-year-old Braxton Danker in 2018, ended in a second-degree manslaughter conviction.

Martzall was sentenced to four years in the Department of Corrections, with credit for time already served. Prosecutors said they were seeking charges on first degree murder and child abuse.

In a 47-page petition, Oklahoma Supreme Court Chief Justice M. John Kane said that Soderstrom exchanged roughly 500 texts with her bailiff, Angela Miller, during Martzall's trial.

According to the document, those texts mocked the physical appearance of attorneys and jurors.

Kane also said the judge used offensive language when talking about the state's attorneys, including crass remarks about one prosecutors genitalia. Soderstrom also allegedly expressed bias in favor of the defendant, and displayed "gross partiality" against the state.

During the trial, the filing claims Soderstrom texted her bailiff "this s---- is boring," and, texting about the defense attorney representing Martzall, "can I clap for her?" and "she's awesome."

The filing also said Soderstrom texted about the prosecutor, saying "he sucks," "this is dumb" and "he looks constipated."

According to Kane's filing, at one point, the judge asked her bailiff if she could "scream liar, liar."

The Chief Justice said the totality of the texts give the appearance the judge believed the defendant to be innocent and wanted him to be found not guilty.

Kane said there are other examples that warrant the permanent removal of Soderstrom from the bench.

News 9 reached out to the Soderstrom's attorney Tuesday night, but have not heard back.