I don't think "has become" a sad norm is quite the right way of putting it. I think judges have been doing this for aeons--at least for the kinds of rapists who remind white, male college graduates of themselves or of some of their peers back in their high school or college days.
It's part of that whole, "Hey, we all know men are animals who can't control themselves, so women who choose not to live diminished lives have only themselves to blame" narrative.
Maybe the good thing about all this is we're hearing about at least some of the most egregious cases now, and a significant number of people are responding with outrage instead of shrugs.
Doesn't stop it from curdling my insides with rage
From the NYT link in the OP:That's good to know. Maybe that fact should go out as a bulletin to every judge in the country.
Sadly, this only happens when a story goes viral (I guess that's the modern-day equivalent of front-page national news). When the time comes to vote in local elections on whether or not to retain judges in our county courts, I generally have no idea what kind of rulings they make or how biased they are against different groups of people.
