Associate Judge Kendra Briggs of the Superior Court
Associate Judge Kendra Briggs of the Superior Court of the District of Columbia issued the verdict, which has drawn strong reactions from both political and public figures.
In August, Coristine was assaulted during an attempted carjacking in Washington, D.C.’s Logan Circle neighborhood while accompanied by a woman. Police arrested two 15-year-olds who fled the scene shortly after the attack.
In response, President Donald Trump declared it was “time to federalize D.C.” and deployed National Guard troops throughout the city. He has since sought to extend that approach to other Democratic-led cities, including Chicago and Portland, though those efforts have encountered legal challenges.
On Tuesday, Briggs, a Biden appointee, sentenced the two juveniles to probation after they pleaded guilty to simple assault. The male defendant received 12 months of probation and was ordered to home confinement, while the female defendant received nine months of probation and was placed in a youth shelter.
Both were prohibited from contacting each other and from entering the District of Columbia except for school, work, or family obligations.
According to local outlet WUSA9, Briggs said she hoped the two 15-year-olds would take the experience as a lesson, emphasizing that the primary goal of the juvenile justice system is rehabilitation rather than punishment.
Trump responded to the lenient sentences outside the White House
Trump responded to the lenient sentences outside the White House.
“They beat the hell out of this guy. There was many people against this one guy, who was really trying to protect his girlfriend,” he said, adding: “Wow, that’s terrible. I think the judge should be ashamed of himself. That’s a big problem.”
Briggs is a female, however, Newsweek noted.
