Santa Clara County Judge Aaron Persky, who earned national notoriety for a handing down a lenient sentence on a Stanford swimmer convicted of sexual assault, is out of a job after voters in California recalled him on Tuesday. Prosecutors had requested a seven-year prison sentence for Stanford student Brock Turner, convicted of sexually assaulting an intoxicated woman outside a frat party in 2016, but Persky gave him six months in county jail. The woman Turner assaulted wrote about her experience in a 12-page statement that went viral, a precursor to the #MeToo movement that started a year later.
In Orange County, California Republicans successfully ousted state Sen. Josh Newman (D), focusing their recall campaign on his support for a 12-cent-per-gallon gas tax. If he is replaced by a Republican, as seems likely, that will end the Democrats' supermajority in the state legislature for the rest of the year.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
-
5 hilariously spirited cartoons about the spirit of ChristmasCartoons Artists take on excuses, pardons, and more
-
Inside the house of AssadThe Explainer Bashar al-Assad and his father, Hafez, ruled Syria for more than half a century but how did one family achieve and maintain power?
-
Sudoku medium: December 22, 2024The Week's daily medium sudoku puzzle
-
British warship repels 'largest Houthi attack to date' in the Red SeaSpeed read Western allies warn of military response to Iranian-backed Yemeni rebels if attacks on ships continue
-
Houthi rebels claim Red Sea ship attacksspeed read Iran-backed Yemeni group vows to escalate aggression towards Israel-linked vessels in revenge for Gaza war
-
Israel plans next phase of Gaza war as first hostages releasedSpeed read After four-day ceasefire 'we will not stop' until destruction of Hamas, says Israel
-
Mob storms Russian airport 'looking for Jews'Speed Read Plane from Israel surrounded by rioters chanting antisemitic slogans after landing in Russia's Dagestan region
-
Tuberville's military promotions block is upending lives, combat readiness, 3 military branch chiefs saySpeed Read
-
Ukraine's counteroffensive is making incremental gains. Does it matter in the broader war?Speed Read
-
US commissions first-ever Navy ship in a foreign portSpeed Read
-
British spy chief, Wagner video suggest Prigozhin is alive and freely 'floating around'Speed Read
