Judge Aaron Persky, who was the judge in the Stanford rape case, has been removed from a new sexual assault case by prosecutors. Persky was criticized for sentencing Brock Turner to six months in prison for the 2015 rape of an unconscious woman. Turner faced a possible 14 years in prison after his conviction.
The office of Santa Clara District Attorney Jeff Rosen announced Tuesday that Persky was being removed from a sexual assault case because they "lacked confidence" that he could "fairly participate."
The statement from the district attorney's office reads:
"We are disappointed and puzzled at Judge Persky's unusual decision to unilaterally dismiss a case before the jury could deliberate. 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. This is a rare and carefully considered step for our Office. In the future, we will evaluate each case on its own merits and decide if we should use our legal right to ask for another judge in order to protect public safety and pursue justice."
Since the Stanford case, it's been revealed that Persky made a similar decision in a 2011 sexual assault case in which members of a college baseball team were accused of gang raping a girl. Both cases directly opposed Persky’s 2002 campaign for the Santa Clara County Superior Court with a platform tough on "sexually violent predators."
Following Persky's decision to sentence Turner to six months in prison, which has reportedly been reduced to three months, a petition began to unseat Persky from his position. The petition went on to earn over one million signatures. Persky's ruling has also prompted a protest from Stanford University students at graduation.
"Protect Survivors. Not Rapists. #PerskyMustGo" read a plane banner that flew overhead before the ceremony. UltraViolet, a women's advocacy organization, confirmed to Complex that the group ordered the plane.
"We commissioned the plane to fly over Stanford in an effort to support student-led protesters taking a stand against rape culture," UltraViolet chief campaigns officer Karin Roland told Complex. "The student-led protests against Judge Persky's decision are critical in helping to raise awareness of the epidemic of rape culture on college campuses and the challenges that survivors of sexual assault face in winning justice."
