Good news in Arizona today. The state Supreme Court threw out a mandatory sentence saying it was too severe:

Taking a slap at legislatively imposed mandatory sentences, the Arizona Supreme Court struck down a 52-year prison term a judge was forced to impose on a 20-year-old man for having sex with two teen girls. The justices pointed out that if the man had committed second-degree murder instead of consensual sex with underage girls, he would have gotten the same prison term.

They also said Arizona's penalties for the man's sex offenses were the harshest in the nation. Thursday's ruling does not mean the man is set free, but that he is entitled to be resentenced - this time without regard to the mandatory minimum.

The ruling also spells out that judges must have the discretion to depart from mandatory minimums as circumstances warrant.