NATIONAL BRIEFS

PENNSYLVANIA: Judge defends his ruling

A judge who came under fire for throwing out a harassment case against a Muslim accused of accosting an atheist activist who dressed as a zombie version of the Prophet Muhammad in a Halloween parade said Tuesday he would not have done anything differently. District Judge Mark Martin said many of the hundreds of calls he received since the alleged victim posted audiotape of the December trial online are acting on the mistaken assumption that the judge is Muslim. Martin said he was trying to make the point to the purported victim, Ernest Perce V, that people who are Muslim would be offended, an opinion based on the Army reservist lieutenant colonel's two tours of duty in Iraq and one in Afghanistan. Most of the complaints suggested he went easy on Talaag Elbayomy as a fellow Muslim, and argued he should have recused himself.

CALIFORNIA: Sentence for Rodney King

Rodney King was sentenced to 20 days of house arrest and fined $500 for misdemeanor reckless driving. King is the black motorist whose beating by white Los Angeles police officers was videotaped in 1991. Four officers were acquitted of charges a year later, leading to rioting in Los Angeles. King, 46, was arrested seven months ago for drunken driving, but Riverside County prosecutors said his blood-alcohol reading was just 0.06 percent. King was also placed on three years' probation.

VIRGINIA: Furry candidate for Senate

A new U.S. Senate candidate has a campaign website and even launched an ad. One big difference? He has a thick coat of fur. Hank the cat is running to mock the political status quo. His owner, Anthony Roberts, said he set up the campaign as an inside joke. Hank's campaign posters show the Maine coon wearing a tie. Hank, "a moderate," is running for the seat being vacated by Sen. James Webb, a Democrat.