"Judge Kelley Paul ordered District Attorney Jeff Rosen and his entire office to recuse from retrying a Stanford felony vandalism case, citing a conflict of interest. Rosen filed felony vandalism and conspiracy charges in April 2025 against 12 Stanford University students and allies, after they allegedly broke into the school president's office in June 2024 to protest the ongoing killings in Gaza during the Israel-Hamas war. The case ended in a mistrial on Feb. 13."
"After the initial trial ended in a hung jury, Rosen immediately said he would retry the case. Attorneys for the defendants then argued Rosen should be excused after he showcased the lawsuit on a webpage that he dedicated to fighting antisemitism and used to garner donations for his 2026 reelection campaign. "DA Rosen is not entitled to continue to pursue a case where he falsely describes the prosecution of the defendants as part of his fight against antisemitism while attempting to raise campaign dollars off that false description," Defense Attorney Avi Singh wrote in court documents."
"A link to Rosen's webpage was sent to more than 600 of his Los Angeles County supporters as part of an email blast, which invited recipients to a campaign party in December 2025, just weeks before the trial began, according to Paul. The link, which mentioned multiple times his charges against the Stanford students, was cited as proof of his commitment toward "America, the State of Israel, the Jewish People, and Judaism." It is unclear which email recipients donated to his campaign because of the webpage."
Santa Clara County Superior Court Judge Kelley Paul ordered District Attorney Jeff Rosen and his entire office to recuse from retrying a Stanford felony vandalism case, citing a conflict of interest. Rosen had filed felony vandalism and conspiracy charges in April 2025 against 12 Stanford University students and allies after an alleged June 2024 break-in of the school president’s office during protests related to the Israel-Hamas war. The case ended in a mistrial on Feb. 13 after a hung jury. Some defendants accepted plea or alternative deals, while several named defendants faced felony vandalism and conspiracy to trespass. Defense attorneys argued Rosen improperly used a webpage about the case to fight antisemitism and raise campaign funds, including sending the link to supporters before trial.
#criminal-justice #prosecutorial-recusal #election-campaign #israel-hamas-protests #stanford-university
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