The state Commission on Judicial Performance has spoken, rejecting the notion that the Santa Clara County judge who sentenced former Stanford swimmer Brock Turner to six months in jail for sexually assaulting an unconscious, intoxicated woman engaged in judicial misconduct. But the Stanford law professor leading the movement to recall Superior Court Judge Aaron Persky has fired back with … [Read more...]

The Stanford law professor campaigning to remove a judge who gave a former athlete at the university six months in jail for sexual assault says the state commission that cleared the judge of unethical conduct ignored some facts and distorted others. The Commission on Judicial Performance’s examination of Judge Aaron Persky was “a one-sided, closed-door proceeding that resulted in an … [Read more...]

In a year that seemed to be tarnished by catastrophic events worldwide, 2016 was also a year marked by the consistent domestic tragedy of gun violence. The Pulse nightclub massacre, the shooting of five Dallas police officers during a Black Lives Matter protest, and the deaths of several unarmed black men at the hands of the police are just several of the many instances of gun violence on record. … [Read more...]

The real story of mass shootings in America is about a controlling man slaughtering his family. During the last week of her life, Cynthia Villegas spoke up. She told a relative that she was afraid of her husband, and that if anything ever happened to her, he would be to blame. She told her brother that she had recently asked for a divorce “because of the abuse” (a conversation her brother … [Read more...]

Sir James Munby says he welcomes Guardian’s spotlight on issue and will prioritise reform early in new year The senior judge who oversees family courts in England and Wales has said he would support “as a matter of priority” a ban on perpetrators of domestic abuse cross-examining their victims. Sir James Munby responded after a Guardian investigation last week revealed that women were being … [Read more...]