Calif. judges take fresh look at campus protests, white supremacist

Racist riots unfolded across the United Kingdom earlier this month fueled by online disinformation, and experts warn similar events could unfold in the United States, especially given a rollback in social media moderation and ongoing antagonism by X owner Elon Musk. Meanwhile, a judge in Los Angeles rules that UCLA must protect Jewish students from being blocked from their classes, and an appeals court in California is skeptical about a judge’s decision in a case against a white supremacist.
It’s the week in extremism.
Riots and racist attacks swept across the U.K. earlier this month, fueled by online disinformation. USA TODAY examined what the attacks mean, and how they might set a precedent for possible political violence here in the United States. 
“There’s no reason why we couldn’t see exactly the same pattern here in the U.S.,” said Heidi Beirich, co-founder of the Global Project Against Hate and Extremism. “As we get closer to the election here in the United States, and tempers flare, any incident like the incident that happened in England could spark the same fury here.”
As universities prepare to restart the academic year, a judge in Los Angeles granted a preliminary injunction against the University of California, Los Angeles, this week, ordering the school to ensure that Jewish students are not blocked from attending classes by pro-Palestinian protesters.
Scarsi’s decision was met with support from Jewish organizations: “The idea that a university would allow protesters to block Jewish students from participating in school life and their own education is outrageous,” Eric Fingerhut, president and CEO of Jewish Federations of North America said in a statement. “This ruling rightly requires UCLA to ensure that Jewish students, like all students, have equal and open access to the school’s campus and programming, and we expect other universities to take notice.”
In April, USA TODAY wrote about a ruling by a federal judge in California to drop a case against a white supremacist who attacked a journalist at a 2017 rally. This week, a panel of the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals appeared skeptical of the judge’s reasoning, according to a report from the Courthouse News Service.
It’s the second time the Ninth Circuit has reviewed one of Carney’s rulings in the case. The court already reversed Carney’s previous order throwing out the charges on First Amendment grounds.
That’s how long former University of Kentucky student Sophia Rosing faces in prison after pleading guilty to four counts of misdemeanor assault, as well as disorderly conduct and public intoxication this week.
The guilty plea was in relation to a drunk and racist tirade Rosing went on in 2022 against another student, who is Black. Video of Rosing’s racist rant went viral at the time.