A judge has recused herself from a high-profile death penalty case after it was revealed that she had close ties to the prosecutor who originally handled the case. Judge Susan Stallings had been assigned to preside over Richard Glossip's third trial, but she ultimately ruled against him due to concerns about her relationships with former Oklahoma County prosecutor Fern Smith and her alleged role in glossing over evidence of prosecutorial misconduct.
Glossip was convicted twice for the murder of his boss and sentenced to death. However, a video of a witness's police interrogation cast doubt on the state's version of events, leading to a reversal of his conviction on ineffective assistance of counsel grounds. A second jury later convicted him and he is now facing re-trial.
The hearing centered around Stallings' decision not to disqualify herself from the case despite concerns about her relationships with Smith, who had previously worked under Stallings at Oklahoma County District Attorney's Office. Stallings maintained that she did not need to step down due to her connections with Smith, but Glossip's lawyers argued that her proximity to the prosecutor could create an appearance of bias.
Stallings had initially claimed that her relationship with Smith was limited to a 1997 trip to Spain, where they traveled together as part of a group. However, under cross-examination, Stallings revealed that she had also taken trips to Las Vegas and England with Smith in the late 1990s. She also admitted to having received an email from Smith after a previous case, which was tied to Glossip's.
Glossip's lawyers argued that this exchange could raise concerns about Stallings' impartiality and her potential bias towards Smith. However, some observers suggested that Stallings may have been unfairly scrutinized by the defense team.
In an unexpected twist, it was revealed that Stallings had also sent a celebratory email to Smith after she issued a ruling in another case tied to Glossip's original conviction. This raised further questions about Stallings' motives and her potential connections to Smith beyond their shared past as prosecutors.
Ultimately, Judge Stallings recused herself from the case due to concerns about Glossip's attorneys trying to "distraction" her, but many observers wonder if she was pressured or simply unable to put aside her ties with the former prosecutor.
Glossip was convicted twice for the murder of his boss and sentenced to death. However, a video of a witness's police interrogation cast doubt on the state's version of events, leading to a reversal of his conviction on ineffective assistance of counsel grounds. A second jury later convicted him and he is now facing re-trial.
The hearing centered around Stallings' decision not to disqualify herself from the case despite concerns about her relationships with Smith, who had previously worked under Stallings at Oklahoma County District Attorney's Office. Stallings maintained that she did not need to step down due to her connections with Smith, but Glossip's lawyers argued that her proximity to the prosecutor could create an appearance of bias.
Stallings had initially claimed that her relationship with Smith was limited to a 1997 trip to Spain, where they traveled together as part of a group. However, under cross-examination, Stallings revealed that she had also taken trips to Las Vegas and England with Smith in the late 1990s. She also admitted to having received an email from Smith after a previous case, which was tied to Glossip's.
Glossip's lawyers argued that this exchange could raise concerns about Stallings' impartiality and her potential bias towards Smith. However, some observers suggested that Stallings may have been unfairly scrutinized by the defense team.
In an unexpected twist, it was revealed that Stallings had also sent a celebratory email to Smith after she issued a ruling in another case tied to Glossip's original conviction. This raised further questions about Stallings' motives and her potential connections to Smith beyond their shared past as prosecutors.
Ultimately, Judge Stallings recused herself from the case due to concerns about Glossip's attorneys trying to "distraction" her, but many observers wonder if she was pressured or simply unable to put aside her ties with the former prosecutor.
... I mean, it's crazy that Judge Stallings had such close ties with Fern Smith, right? It seems like there were some pretty strong connections between them, especially considering how Stallings ended up ruling against Glossip despite his lawyers' concerns. But at the same time, you can't help but wonder if Stallings was just being really careful and trying to maintain a professional relationship... or if she was actually worried about losing her impartiality. Either way, it's clear that this case has gotten pretty complicated 
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, but then had to admit to more trips with Smith later on. And that celebratory email after another case? Not exactly the kind of objectivity we want from a judge 
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. But at the end of the day, it's clear that this was a case where someone had to recuse themselves, and I just hope it doesn't lead to any more drama in the trial 
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. It's not always easy to keep things separate, but when you're making life-or-death decisions, it's gotta be crystal clear 
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And let's not forget about all those trips they took together and emails they exchanged... it's getting pretty sketchy. But at the same time, I don't know if she was just being too careful or if Glossip's lawyers were trying to distract her from the real issue. 
I mean, it's not like she was trying to influence the outcome or anything... but still. It feels kinda fishy. And what's with all these trips to Vegas and England with Fern Smith? Did they have some secret spy mission going on? 
Nah, probably just hangouts. But for real, it's pretty concerning when you think about a judge having so much of an influence over their personal relationships. Can we get some transparency here? 
I'm so done with these judges having secret relationships with prosecutors... like what even is going on here? 
). We know how these things go down, and if there's even a hint of impropriety, she should've recused herself a looong time ago. It's just frustrating to think that Glossip is still going through this drama because some judges can't seem to put aside their past connections... 
I mean, come on, if she had a good relationship with Smith back in the day, shouldn't that be irrelevant? The whole thing reeks of her trying to avoid scrutiny, not to mention the email exchange after another case... what's up with that?! 
#JusticeSystemFail. The fact that Judge Stallings had so close ties to Fern Smith and was able to keep it under wraps until now raises major red flags about impartiality. It's like, how can we trust her to make fair decisions in this case? 
#NotImpressed. Stallings' decision to recuse herself might be a good thing, but it feels like she was already cooked by her own biases. We need more transparency and less "distractions" in our courts 
#JusticeMatters.
. A judge recusing herself from a death penalty case because of her ties to the prosecutor? It's just so suspicious... back in my day, we didn't have all these rules and regulations to keep judges impartial. I mean, what's next? Judges taking bribes or something? 
. It's like, come on, can't we focus on the actual evidence instead of getting caught up in who knows who and how many times they've crossed paths? 
That's just cringeworthy! 
. It feels like she was already leaning towards siding with Smith and didn't want to rock the boat 
. We've all seen enough 'roid-raging defense lawyers trying to get under their opponents' skin, but Stallings is taking it to a whole new level 
Either way, I'm keeping an eye on this case from afar 
It's good to see Glossip getting another chance at justice, though! The video footage that cast doubt on his conviction was definitely suspicious... it's crazy how technology can reveal some pretty shady stuff.
... like, did she really send one to Smith after a different case?! It's all getting pretty sus for me 
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...i mean, cant we just have an independent investigation or somethin to figure out what really went down here? 
I mean, come on judge! You're supposed to be impartial not biased towards your BFFs 
but this judge was all like "oh no, my friends are involved in the case" 
and then she still decided to stick around 
what was she trying to say? That she was going to side with them? 
. And what's up with all these secretive emails between them? Did she really need to send a celebratory email after making another ruling on a related case? That just seems like an attempt to distract from the real issue 
. A judge should be able to step aside when there's a conflict of interest, regardless of what others think 
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