A former Oklahoma County prosecutor, Fern Smith, failed to disclose her personal ties to the current prosecutor in a death row case, raising concerns about judicial impartiality. During an evidentiary hearing, Smith's lawyers sought to recuse Judge Susan Stallings from Glossip's case due to their close relationship and potential bias.
The two women had worked together at the Oklahoma County District Attorney's Office in the 1990s, and Stallings had credited Smith as a formative influence. They also traveled together to Spain in 1997 and went on another trip to England, which was not disclosed by Stallings. The email exchange between the judge and Smith revealed that she sent praise for the prosecutors who were trying to kill Glossip, raising further questions about her impartiality.
Stallings maintained that she did not need to step down from the case, despite the requests of Glossip's lawyers. Her decision was seen as a surprise, as she had previously ruled against another defendant, Tremane Wood, whose conviction was also plagued by allegations of prosecutorial misconduct.
Glossip's lawyers argued that Stallings' relationship with Smith created an appearance of bias and that she should be recused from the case. However, Stallings insisted that her connection to Smith did not impact her ability to preside over the trial fairly.
The hearing has raised concerns about judicial impartiality in Oklahoma and has sparked debate about whether judges who have worked closely with prosecutors should be allowed to preside over cases involving those prosecutors. The decision of Judge Stallings will have significant implications for Glossip's case and may set a precedent for other similar cases in the state.
The two women had worked together at the Oklahoma County District Attorney's Office in the 1990s, and Stallings had credited Smith as a formative influence. They also traveled together to Spain in 1997 and went on another trip to England, which was not disclosed by Stallings. The email exchange between the judge and Smith revealed that she sent praise for the prosecutors who were trying to kill Glossip, raising further questions about her impartiality.
Stallings maintained that she did not need to step down from the case, despite the requests of Glossip's lawyers. Her decision was seen as a surprise, as she had previously ruled against another defendant, Tremane Wood, whose conviction was also plagued by allegations of prosecutorial misconduct.
Glossip's lawyers argued that Stallings' relationship with Smith created an appearance of bias and that she should be recused from the case. However, Stallings insisted that her connection to Smith did not impact her ability to preside over the trial fairly.
The hearing has raised concerns about judicial impartiality in Oklahoma and has sparked debate about whether judges who have worked closely with prosecutors should be allowed to preside over cases involving those prosecutors. The decision of Judge Stallings will have significant implications for Glossip's case and may set a precedent for other similar cases in the state.
! I mean, can you even imagine if one of your colleagues was trying to kill someone and then they got assigned as the judge? It's like a bad dream come true 
. And to make matters worse, it sounds like Judge Stallings tried to brush off the whole thing and said she could be impartial because of her friendship with Fern Smith 
... but we all know how that would work out. The fact that they went on trips together and even emailed each other about prosecutor colleagues? Red flag alert! 
I hope Glossip's lawyers were able to raise some valid concerns and get Stallings recused from the case, because if she can't be fair and impartial, then who can? 
this is some serious stuff... i mean, who wants their judge to be buddies with the prosecutor trying to send someone to death row? 
it just doesn't seem right. the fact that they went on trips together and had a close working relationship raises so many red flags about impartiality. 
i'm all for people having connections and friendships outside of work, but not when it comes to something as serious as a death penalty case. 
this whole thing just stinks 
and the fact that the judge didn't think it was a big deal and just went ahead with it is mind-blowing. did she not realize how this would look? 
i mean, glossip's lawyers are right, this creates an appearance of bias and it's unfair to him. what if this was any other defendant? 
. It's like they're already on the same team before even hearing the case. And now we're supposed to trust them to make fair decisions? I don't know... seems sketchy to me 
. Maybe they should have stepped down from the case, but I guess that's not how it works in Oklahoma 
.
. What if other judges follow suit? We need to get to the bottom of this ASAP!
Fern Smith and Susan Stallings' connection goes way back, and it's wild to think that it could've influenced Stallings' decisions on Glossip's case. I mean, I get it, judges have lives too, but you'd think they'd be a little more transparent about their relationships with prosecutors.
The system should at least consider recusing her from the case, especially when there's already so many doubts about Glossip's conviction 
It raises questions about whether she can still remain impartial in Glossip's case, which already has a lot of drama surrounding it. I mean, Smith sent some pretty positive vibes towards the prosecutors trying to kill Glossip, which isn't exactly reassuring. 
Stallings seems like a reasonable person and all, but you've gotta wonder if her friendship with Smith will taint her judgement in any way. Maybe she's right that it doesn't matter, but I'm not so sure... 
this whole thing is a big deal, especially since Glossip's lawyers were trying to get her recused. now we just have to wait and see what happens next 
especially when it's something like this, where there's already so much at stake. I'm not saying the judge is definitely biased or anything, but I do think she should've stepped down from the case. 
or was that just TV drama? 
. And what really gets my goat is that they didn't even disclose their friendship in the first place 
.
? She says her connection to Fern Smith won't affect her ability to preside over the trial fairly, but I think that's a pretty big stretch 
. It's not like they're sitting in the same office cubicle, it's their lives and careers we're talking about here 
. We can't have judges who are more loyal to their old colleagues than to justice itself 
. Something's gotta change, and fast