You are old enough to know that threatening a police officer is wrong.
You are old enough to know that mocking someone on social media with 47,000 followers watching is cruel.
And you are certainly old enough to know that when you get caught doing something wrong on August 15th, you don’t double down and do it again three days later on August 18th.
This isn’t about a young person making an innocent mistake.
This is about someone who has been raised to believe that rules don’t apply to them.
Unless this court intervenes, unless we send a clear and unmistakable message right now, I fear what might happen next time because there will be a next time.
People with this attitude, with this level of arrogance, do not stop until something forces them to stop.
I have been thinking a lot about what justice looks like in this case.
And I have come to a conclusion.
Justice isn’t just about punishing Madison Thornton.
It’s about protecting future victims.
It’s about sending a message to every other entitled young person out there who thinks their family name puts them above the law.
It’s about vindicating officer Daniel Martinez who was just doing his job and was subjected to abuse and humiliation for it.
And it’s about restoring faith in our system.
Faith that may have been shaken by too many cases where wealthy defendants walk away with a slap on the wrist.
So here is what I have decided.
