Superior Court Judge Aaron Persky has received a plethora of pushback for his “slap on the hand” sentence of only six months to a now former Stanford student. Brock Turner, convicted of raping a 23-year-old woman in the back of a dumpster while she was unconscious, faced a maximum sentence of 14 years but may now only have to serve three of his six months in a county jail. The case made international headlines after the rape victim/survivor’s statement to her rapist was published on Buzzfeed. Over four million people viewed it within the first two days. Vice President Biden wrote the victim a compassionate open letter and Congress is scheduled to hear the statement out loud on the House floor June 16.
There are several petitions calling for Persky’s removal from the case including one on Change.org that contains over one million signatures. There are also multiple Facebook pages demanding the same. A sign of internal trouble came last week when a reported 10 potential jurors refused to serve under Persky. Today, there is more bad news for the judge. Richard Gonzales with NPR reports:
Santa Clara District Attorney Jeff Rosen filed a peremptory challenge Tuesday against Superior Court Judge Aaron Persky preventing him from deciding whether a former Kaiser Permanente surgical nurse should be tried for the alleged sexual assault of a sedated patient.
Rosen removed Persky a day after the judge abruptly dismissed charges against a San Jose woman in an unrelated misdemeanor theft trial. Apparently for Rosen, Judge Persky's decision in that case was the last straw.
"We are disappointed and puzzled at Judge Persky's unusual decision to unilaterally dismiss a case before the jury could deliberate," Rosen said in a prepared statement. "After this and the recent turn of events, we lack confidence that Judge Persky can fairly participate in this upcoming hearing in which a male nurse sexually assaulted an anesthetized female patient."
District Attorney Rosen called his decision to remove Persky "a rare and carefully considered step for our office." He also mentioned in his statement that there is the possibility he would seek to disqualify Judge Persky in future cases. Brock Turner, the rapist, was kicked out of Stanford University and banned for life from US Swimming — and from ever competing in the Olympic. It should be noted that the rape victim known as “Emily Doe” was going to settle and accept an apology, but Turner opted to hire an powerhouse attorney, expert witnesses and private investigators to try to discredit and smear the victim’s name. It backfired on him and Judge Persky in a big way.
Here is a CNN video of the rape victim’s courageous statement:
If you or someone you know is, or has ever been, a victim of rape/sexual assault, it’s never too late to seek help. You can find free support via the National Sexual Assault Hotline: 800.656.HOPE (4673) and/or by visiting the Rape, Abuse Incest National Network/RAINN.org website online. If you are in immediate danger, please call 911. You do not have to live with horror, guilt, and/or shame. If you can hold on to one thing, remember this —It. Was. Not. Your. Fault.