Stanford rape judge pulled from next sexual assault case

Santa Clara County Superior Judge Aaron Persky's first case after his widely criticized decision to sentence a Stanford student to six months in county jail for three felony counts of sexual assault was a misdemeanor case involving allegedly pilfered mail. Pesky unexpectedly dismissed that case before it could go before a jury, and that was enough to get him pulled from another case in his docket.

"We are disappointed and puzzled at Judge Persky's unusual decision to unilaterally dismiss a case before the jury could deliberate," District Attorney Jeff Rosen said in a statement Tuesday evening, describing the decision to remove Persky from a case as "rare and carefully considered." "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. 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."

Perksy is described by some of his peers as a fair and careful jurist who was within his rights and the law to sentence Brock Turner to a short jail sentence, three years of probation, and lifetime registration as a sex offender. Galvanized by a 12-page statement from the woman Turner assaulted, many more people were outraged, including one of the jurors who convicted Turner and later wrote Persky to say he is "absolutely shocked and appalled" by the sentence. A campaign to recall Persky is gaining steam, though so far nobody has registered to run against him when he is up for re-election in November, the Los Angeles Times reports.

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