Oklahoma's Justice: Mentors Set Death Row, Protégé Oversees 'Fair' Trial?
Richard Glossip, a man whose innocence claims have drawn widespread attention, faces execution again. Now, Oklahoma County District Judge Susan Stallings is assigned his case. The Intercept frames this as a dilemma because Stallings’ former mentor, David Prater, helped send Glossip to death row during his tenure as DA. (One might call that an 'unfortunate' overlap, rather than an unbiased
reassessment.) This isn't merely a personal connection; it's a structural problem. Glossip's case has already seen three execution postponements, with Attorney General Gentner Drummond himself admitting the conviction was 'precarious' due to suppressed evidence. Yet, the same system that withheld that evidence now recycles its actors to preside over the 'justice.' When those who built the frame
are also painting the picture, 'fair' often looks like 'fixed.'