The Los Angeles County Superior Court has reversed a decision by California Governor Gavin Newson, who rejected the parole eligibility and application of Armenian man Hampig Sassounian, Asbarez reported.

Despite a recommendation in December 2019 by the Board of Parole in favor of Sassounian’s suitability, Newsom, last May, rejected that decision and denied his parole, saying in a lengthy decision that while he acknowledged the steps Sassounian had taken over decades to rehabilitate himself, he did not believe Sassounian to be fit for release.

Saying Newsom’s decision was “arbitrary and procedurally flawed,” LA County Superior Court Judge William C. Ryan granted Sassounian’s attorney’s motion to reverse the governor’s decision.

With its ruling, the court vacated Newsom’s decision to reject Sassounian’s parole, and reinstated the California Parole Board’s decision to grant Sassounian parole.