Jury awards $1.1M to former magistrate who claims she was fired for being Jewish

A jury awarded a former magistrate more than $1.1 million on Friday, six years after she sued a Butler County judge for firing her because she is Jewish and requesting time off to celebrate the high holy days. Kimberly Edelstein worked as a magistrate for Butler County Court of Common Pleas Judge Greg Stephens for a few months in 2016, until she asked to use eight days of vacation time to celebrate the Jewish holidays. He fired her a few days later. “I’m very grateful to God and for all of the people who supported me,” Edelstein said. “I hope this vindicates my reputation. I lost my career.”