Stanford Rape Case Update: Judge Behind Controversial Sentence Quietly Moves To Civil Court [VIDEO]
Aaron Persky, the infamous judge who handed out an extremely light punishment for convicted Stanford rapist Brock Turner, will no longer be presiding over criminal cases.
His departure from the criminal court has been confirmed by Presiding Judge Rise Pinchon, who related Persky's request to be moved to a civil court.
"While I firmly believe in Judge Persky's ability to serve in his current assignment, he has requested to be assigned to the civil division, in which he previously served," Pinchon said.
"Judge Persky 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."
Persky's departure from criminal court happened in the wake of a child pornography case he was overseeing. On Monday, Persky formally excused himself from the case, after he was faced with the decision of reducing a San Jose plumber's felony charges to simple misdemeanors.
Since his controversial sentencing of convicted rapist Brock Turner in June, Persky has faced numerous criticisms from concerned groups and women's advocates. Even though Turner was proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt could have easily gotten 14 years for his crime, Persky opted to give the ex-Stanford swimmer a 6-month county jail sentence.
The extremely light sentence, coupled with the gravity of Turner's crime, has caused a lot of outcry from the public. In the wake of Turner's case, several groups have attempted to have Persky removed from his position as judge.
As much as his move to a civil court seems like a safe move, however, Persky actually has an equally notorious reputation in civil proceedings in the past as well.
Back in 2011, Persky presided over a civil case involving an alleged gang rape initiated by a number of baseball players from De Anza College. During the trial, critics accused the judge of being biased against the victim, especially after Persky allowed the defense to show Facebook photos of the girl in revealing clothes, even though the images had no relation to the case.
Despite his move to the civil court, however, critics of the controversial judge are steadfast in their efforts to disbar him.
