Judge Who Gave Only a Six-Month Sentence for Rape Faces Recall

With all the talk about rape on college campuses, it seems all of the high-profile cases turn out to be nothing. The Duke lacrosse team and the University of Virginia — both high-profile rape claims, both were bunk.

However, rape does happen at universities.

One instance happened at Stanford University, where a member of the swim team named Brock Turner was convicted of the crime. The outrage in this case stems from the judge’s sentence of merely six months in jail.

Now, that judge is facing a potential recall over that sentencing:

A move is underway to oust the California judge who sparked outrage after he sentenced a former Stanford University swimmer to just six months in jail for raping an unconscious woman behind a dumpster outside a campus frat party.

The sentence Santa Clara County Superior Court Judge Aaron Persky imposed on Brock Turner, 20, has been blasted by the victim and called a “slap on the wrist” by the San Jose Mercury News.

And critics like Stanford law professor Michele Dauber said she can’t fathom what Persky, a former Santa Clara County prosecutor who specialized in going after violent sexual predators, was thinking.

…

In their recall petition, Change.org noted that “Judge Persky failed to see that the fact that Brock Turner is a white male star athlete at a prestigious university does not entitle him to leniency. He also failed to send the message that sexual assault is against the law regardless of social class, race, gender or other factors.”

Even if you don’t buy into the identity politics that the Change.org petition utilizes, the fact that anyone got only six months for such a heinous crime is troubling.

As a general rule, it’s a bad idea to try to recall politicians who make unpopular decisions. This leads to micromanaging by the electorate, inhibiting the Republican form of government our Founding Fathers preferred.

However, Persky’s decision is incredibly troubling. The ire directed at Persky is as non-partisan as possible — it’s not just radical feminists and progressives lashing out, but conservatives and libertarians joining in the outrage.

Frankly, the anger is warranted. What remains to be seen is whether Persky is going anywhere.