Lincoln County District Judge Traci Soderstrom, suspended since last October when the State Supreme Court filed a petition seeking her removal from office, has resigned her position.
The resignation was effective as of 5 p.m. Feb. 9. The final order filed on that date states in part, “her resignation shall be irrevocable.”
According to the settlement stipulation, request for order of approval and final order of dismissal, Soderstrom agreed that she shall not seek or accept any judicial position again in the state of Oklahoma.
According to the final order, “The Court on the Judiciary, Trial Division shall have continuing jurisdiction to enforce any aspect of this order.”
Soderstrom was scheduled to go to trial on Monday, Feb. 12, before the Court on the Judiciary Trial Division but agreed to the settlement stipulation and resigned instead.
The settlement stated the petition was amended twice and the Second Amended Petition is the operative petition.
Asked his reaction to Soderstrom’s resignation from office, Lincoln and Pottawatomie Counties’ District Attorney Adam Panter said, “I hope that the resignation of former District Judge Soderstrom is the first step towards restoring this community’s faith in the justice system. It is a fundamental and moral right that all citizens should expect a fair and competent judiciary with integrity.
“I have faith that whoever is appointed as the replacement for the District Judge position will uphold the high standards that we should expect from a person placed in such an important position of trust. All public officials, myself included, should be expected to honor our oaths upon taking office and hold ourselves accountable to those we represent. Without accountability, there only remains chaos, corruption, or willful neglect of our duties.”
As for appointing a new judge, a person knowledgable with the process explained, “The non-partisan judicial nominating committee will advertise the open position. All qualified applicants are then vetted by the OSBI and are subsequently interviewed by the committee.
“After being interviewed, the law requires the committee to forward three qualified applicants to the Governor. The Governor will typically interview all three, and then appoint his selection to fill out the remainder of the judicial term.”
The Oklahoma State Supreme Court filed its original petition on Tuesday, Oct. 10, 2023 seeking the removal of Soderstrom following an investigation by the Council on Judicial Complaints.
The Second Amended petition contained at least some of the very same information as was in the original petition. The settlement document notes Söderström filed an answer to the Second Amended petition containing her admissions and denials to the allegations.
The petition stated that Söderström, “engaged in conduct prohibited by the Oklahoma Constitution.”
The allegations were based on information forwarded to the Supreme Court by the Council on Judicial Complaints which reportedly began its investigation during the summer of 2023.
The grounds which the removal from office was sought included these activities prohibited by Article 7-A 1(b) of the state Constitution. According to the petition, they included: - Gross neglect of duty. - Gross partiality in office. - Oppression in office. - Other grounds specified by the Legislature. That petition stated, “Great and irreparable harm and injury will occur if Söderström is allowed to continue in the capacity of a District Judge of the 23rd Judicial District in Oklahoma.”
It continued that “the petitioner alleges the above-enumerated acts by Söderström warrant discipline by the Court on the Judiciary as authorized by the statutes and the State Constitution.
The petitioner requested that the Court on the Judiciary enter an Order removing Judge Söderström from office as District Judge in and for Lincoln and Pottawatomie Counties in Oklahoma and the 23rd Judicial District, with disqualification to hold any judicial office in the state of Oklahoma.
One of the matters that Söderström came under investigation for was reportedly using her cell phone extensively during a seven-day murder trial in June of 2023 that she presided over.
She won election in November of 2022 over Joe Dobry. Söderström won the position held by District Judge Cindy Ashwood who retired after serving 12 years on the bench.
It was Soderstrom’s first murder trial to preside over since being sworn in on Jan. 9, 2023.
Among the violations of Article 7-1 cited in the petition was that while presiding over a murder trial that began on June 7, 2023, Söderström exchanged more than 500 text messages with her Bailiff Angela Miller in which they mocked the physical appearance of attorneys, jurors and witnesses and used offensive language to deride the state’s attorneys.
“The Respondent and her bailiff called murder trial witnesses liars, admired the looks of a police officer who was testifying, disparaged the local defense bar, expressed bias in favor of the defendant and displayed gross partiality against the state.”
It further stated, “Respondent and her Bailiff texted back and forth with each other continuously during the active portions of the murder trial. Respondent placed her personal cell phone toward the front of her lap outside the view of others in the courtroom.”
Last summer when information surfaced that surveillance video revealed Söderström being on her cell phone extensively during the murder trial and on Facebook as well, Sheriff Charlie Dougherty reportedly was requested by the Council on Judicial Complaints to turn over the video.
Panter last summer said, “After receiving a tip from courthouse personnel, I reviewed surveillance video from above the judge’s bench and can confirm that the judge spent hours of the trial on her cell phone both texting and scrolling social media.
“It’s both shocking and disappointing to learn. Jurors are banned from using cell phones in the courtroom during trials because we expect them to give their full time and attention to the evidence being presented,” Panter said.