Oklahoma Judge's Ties to Former Prosecutor Raise Question of Impartiality in Death Row Case.
A judge presiding over a death row case has been forced to consider recusing herself from the high-profile trial after revelations about her past connections to one of the prosecutors who sent the defendant, Richard Glossip, to death row. Oklahoma County Judge Susan Stallings had been defending her refusal to step down from the third trial of Glossip despite her ties to former prosecutor Fern Smith, a key figure in Glossip's conviction.
In a Rule 15 hearing, Glossip's defense attorneys asked Stallings if she believed she could be impartial in presiding over the case given her past relationship with Smith. Stallings explained that while she had worked for Smith during her time at the Oklahoma County District Attorney's Office in the early 1990s, and had praised Smith as a formative influence on her career. However, Stallings also acknowledged taking a trip to Spain with Smith in 1997.
The defense team argued that this trip suggested a closer relationship between Stallings and Smith than the judge had let on, and that it would be unfair for Stallings to preside over Glossip's case given this potential conflict of interest. In a statement attached to Glossip's recusal motion, prosecutors acknowledged that their client had "vastly overstated" Stallings' connection to Smith, but they argued that the judge's past relationship with her former boss, David Prater, also raised concerns about her impartiality.
Glossip's lawyers pointed out that Stallings presided over an evidentiary hearing in a different case involving another defendant who had been convicted of murder and was facing execution. In that case, Stallings had found the prosecutor, Fern Smith, credible despite criticisms from defense attorneys that she had given more attention to Smith's testimony than to anyone else's.
The Oklahoma County District Court will hold an evidentiary hearing on October 30th to determine whether Stallings can remain impartial in Glossip's case. If she recuses herself, the court may consider Stallings' ties to both Prater and Smith as evidence that she cannot preside over Glossip's trial fairly.
A judge presiding over a death row case has been forced to consider recusing herself from the high-profile trial after revelations about her past connections to one of the prosecutors who sent the defendant, Richard Glossip, to death row. Oklahoma County Judge Susan Stallings had been defending her refusal to step down from the third trial of Glossip despite her ties to former prosecutor Fern Smith, a key figure in Glossip's conviction.
In a Rule 15 hearing, Glossip's defense attorneys asked Stallings if she believed she could be impartial in presiding over the case given her past relationship with Smith. Stallings explained that while she had worked for Smith during her time at the Oklahoma County District Attorney's Office in the early 1990s, and had praised Smith as a formative influence on her career. However, Stallings also acknowledged taking a trip to Spain with Smith in 1997.
The defense team argued that this trip suggested a closer relationship between Stallings and Smith than the judge had let on, and that it would be unfair for Stallings to preside over Glossip's case given this potential conflict of interest. In a statement attached to Glossip's recusal motion, prosecutors acknowledged that their client had "vastly overstated" Stallings' connection to Smith, but they argued that the judge's past relationship with her former boss, David Prater, also raised concerns about her impartiality.
Glossip's lawyers pointed out that Stallings presided over an evidentiary hearing in a different case involving another defendant who had been convicted of murder and was facing execution. In that case, Stallings had found the prosecutor, Fern Smith, credible despite criticisms from defense attorneys that she had given more attention to Smith's testimony than to anyone else's.
The Oklahoma County District Court will hold an evidentiary hearing on October 30th to determine whether Stallings can remain impartial in Glossip's case. If she recuses herself, the court may consider Stallings' ties to both Prater and Smith as evidence that she cannot preside over Glossip's trial fairly.
... I mean, if Stallings is impartial, her connections won't matter. But if they do, it's a shame because this whole thing feels like a mess 
. The defense team's asking for her to recuse herself, but the prosecutors are saying she's still got some credibility left 
. It's all about perception, you know? And who can really trust that a judge with past ties won't be swayed in a high-stakes case? 
The trial's set to start soon, so we'll just have to wait and see how it all plays out 
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but at the same time, like, can't we trust her? She's got some history with this prosecutor Fern Smith, right? I mean, they went on a trip together in Spain... that sounds pretty close, if you ask me. But wait, what about when she worked for Prater too? Like, doesn't that count for something? Shouldn't it be an issue how she can remain impartial in Glossip's case?
and now they're saying her relationship with david prater too...it's like the more info we get, the less trustworthy stallings seems to be? i don't know what's gonna happen at this evidentiary hearing but one thing's for sure...the justice system in oklahoma needs some serious scrutiny 
just think about it, there was no social media back then so how did this even come to light?! and now they're questioning her impartiality over some connection to a prosecutor that's like, half her age rn 
what's the point of even having a recusal motion if everyone knows she had dinner with the guy 30 years ago? 
yeah, that's not cool at all. i mean, i get it, we've all had past jobs or connections that might seem unrelated to our current role, but this is a death penalty case we're talking about. it's like, super serious.
. We can't afford to let anyone compromise the integrity of Platform's justice system 
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