A US court has found that a judge failed to disclose her personal ties to the prosecutor in two death row cases, raising serious questions about impartiality. Susan Stallings was presiding over the case of Richard Glossip, who had been convicted twice and sentenced to death for the murder of his boss, Barry Van Treese.
Stallings, a former Oklahoma County prosecutor, had worked with Fern Smith, the original prosecutor in the case, on several occasions, including a group trip to Spain in 1997. The defense team argued that Stallings' relationship with Smith was too close to be overlooked and could potentially impact her impartiality.
During an evidentiary hearing, it emerged that Stallings had also received praise from Smith for her work on another case involving Tremane Wood, a man who was sentenced to death despite claiming he did not commit the crime. Stallings' email to Smith included glowing language about the proposed findings of the Oklahoma Attorney General's Office.
The judge ultimately recused herself from the case after the defense team raised concerns that her relationship with Smith had tainted her impartiality. The decision came just days before Wood was scheduled to be executed, and it is believed that his lawyers used the hearing to try to save his life.
Stallings' actions have sparked controversy over the role of prosecutors in death penalty cases and the need for greater transparency about their relationships with judges. Critics argue that the system is flawed and that justice can only be served if all parties involved are free from bias.
In a shocking turn of events, Oklahoma Governor Kevin Stitt granted clemency to Wood on November 13, just hours before his scheduled execution. The decision came after a thorough review of the facts and prayerful consideration, with Stitt stating that he wanted to ensure that a violent offender was kept off the streets forever.
The case highlights the need for greater accountability in the justice system and the importance of transparency about relationships between prosecutors and judges. It also underscores the complexities of death penalty cases and the difficulty in determining whether an individual is guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
Stallings, a former Oklahoma County prosecutor, had worked with Fern Smith, the original prosecutor in the case, on several occasions, including a group trip to Spain in 1997. The defense team argued that Stallings' relationship with Smith was too close to be overlooked and could potentially impact her impartiality.
During an evidentiary hearing, it emerged that Stallings had also received praise from Smith for her work on another case involving Tremane Wood, a man who was sentenced to death despite claiming he did not commit the crime. Stallings' email to Smith included glowing language about the proposed findings of the Oklahoma Attorney General's Office.
The judge ultimately recused herself from the case after the defense team raised concerns that her relationship with Smith had tainted her impartiality. The decision came just days before Wood was scheduled to be executed, and it is believed that his lawyers used the hearing to try to save his life.
Stallings' actions have sparked controversy over the role of prosecutors in death penalty cases and the need for greater transparency about their relationships with judges. Critics argue that the system is flawed and that justice can only be served if all parties involved are free from bias.
In a shocking turn of events, Oklahoma Governor Kevin Stitt granted clemency to Wood on November 13, just hours before his scheduled execution. The decision came after a thorough review of the facts and prayerful consideration, with Stitt stating that he wanted to ensure that a violent offender was kept off the streets forever.
The case highlights the need for greater accountability in the justice system and the importance of transparency about relationships between prosecutors and judges. It also underscores the complexities of death penalty cases and the difficulty in determining whether an individual is guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
This whole thing just blows my mind, you know? Like, how can we trust our justice system when it's so easy for people to manipulate things from behind the scenes? 
I mean, Susan Stallings was basically supposed to be impartial, but she had this personal connection with Fern Smith that could've totally influenced her decisions. And what's even crazier is that it took a court finding to expose all of this. 
I mean, Richard Glossip was convicted TWICE and still sentenced to death for murder, but because of this judge's personal ties with another prosecutor, his life got saved. It's just not right. 
And then there's Tremane Wood, who was supposed to be executed, but thanks to the governor's intervention, he gets a second chance at life. But what about all the others? 
We need to fix this stuff, you know?
! I mean, who needs impartiality when you've got personal connections to make up for it? It's just so frustrating that our justice system prioritizes relationships over fairness. And what really gets my goat is that it takes a court finding and a governor's clemency to even acknowledge the issue in the first place 
. I mean, how many more cases need to go down before we get some real changes made? The fact that this judge was able to just recuse herself after the defense raised concerns says nothing but good about her ability to cover her tracks 
. And don't even get me started on the prosecutors and judges who think they're above the law because of their connections 
. It's time for some real reform around here!
. It's wild that the governor stepped in just days before the execution, like what if he hadn't? That would've been a total miscarriage of justice 
. And it raises so many questions about the system, like how are we even supposed to know if the judge was impartial or not? Shouldn't there be more transparency around those relationships? It's just not right that someone like that could just walk free without due process 
this whole system needs a serious overhaul, imo 
i'm so worried about that poor guy tremane wood 
he's been on death row for like forever and it's just not fair 
and now because of the judge's mistake, he gets a second chance 
it's like the justice system is supposed to protect people from wrongful convictions, but sometimes it fails miserably 
. I mean, you've got a judge who's basically BFFs with the prosecutor on one case, and it makes total sense that her impartiality was called into question 
.
. We can't just keep moving forward without making sure everyone's on the same page, you know?
. Like, they even went on a trip together in 1997 
! And it gets worse because her emails to Smith were basically glowing about how great she thought his work was 
.
. But what really got my attention is that Oklahoma Governor Kevin Stitt granted clemency to the guy who was supposed to be executed just hours before 
! Like, how does this even work? Is it possible for things like this to happen because of a lack of transparency in the justice system?
. We need more checks and balances in place to make sure justice is served and everyone's treated fairly 
.
, and I have to say, it's kinda fascinating but also super frustrating. Like, how do we ensure that justice is served? We can't just assume everything is fine because someone says so, right? 
.
i mean, who knew being friends with someone could impact your decision to preside over their case? 
and now Wood gets a second chance 
and how hard it is to separate personal relationships from the law 
. And now she had to recuse herself just days before the scheduled execution... talk about timing. The defense team's concerns about impartiality were clearly warranted. I mean, who wouldn't want their judge to be as close with the prosecutor as they are with their aunt at Thanksgiving dinner? 
This whole thing is wild... I mean, who knew that having friends with old colleagues could affect the outcome of a trial? It's not just about recusing herself from the case, it's about maintaining public trust and ensuring that justice isn't served by personal connections. The system needs to be more transparent, especially when it comes to big decisions like the death penalty. I'm glad the governor stepped in and granted clemency, but at the same time, this whole thing raises questions about how we can prevent similar situations from happening in the future 
. We need real reform here, not just a slap on the wrist. Transparency is key, folks! 
It's only a matter of time before someone gets caught slippin' and tries to pull off some shady stuff. Glad the case got recused, I guess... can't have your impartiality go up in flames 
... or worse, in this case, just get executed 
.