The California judge who faced public scrutiny and a recall effort over his decision to hand down a six-month sentence to a Stanford University swimmer in a highly publicized sexual assault case has opted out of presiding over criminal cases.
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“Judge Perky believes the change will aid the public and the court by reducing the distractions that threaten to interfere with his ability to effectively discharge the duties of his current criminal assignment”, said Presiding Judge Risë Jones Pichon.
According to reports from ABC 7 and The Mercury News, Judge Aaron Persky is stepping away from hearing criminal cases after receiving a torrent of criticism following his controversial sentencing.
The move will take effect on 6 September.
That came two months after the district attorney’s office removed Persky from a different sexual assault case, saying “we lack confidence” in the judge’s ability to decide it impartially. Almost 1.3 million people have signed an online petition calling for the ouster of Persky, who is a Stanford alumnus. Stanford law professor Michele Dauber is one of the critics who have vowed to remove Persky from the bench and, according to The Mercury News, is pushing for a recall election to be done in November 2017 while other individuals have been complaining to the state agency based on his judicial performance.
Turner is scheduled to be released from jail next Friday, Sept. 2, after serving half of his six-month sentence based on credit for good behavior. But Perskey said he gave the former student the light sentence because his case was “unusual” and that he would be severely impacted by time spent in prison.
She added that the recall movement, which has raised more than $90,000, would continue as judges rotate courts annually and he could “return to criminal court when he chooses”. The case sparked an global debate about sexual violence and consent.
Authorities say Turner sexually assaulted a girl while she was passed out near a trash bin. “So the issue of his bias still needs to be decided by voters”.
Earlier this week, Persky made a decision to recuse himself from deciding whether to reduce a child pornography conviction from a felony to a misdemeanor, saying that the months of criticism could hurt perceptions of his impartiality.
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“While on vacation earlier this month, my family and I were exposed to publicity surrounding this case”, the ruling said. Stanford, in response to the sexual assault, has banned hard alcohol from on-campus parties.
