The judge that presided over the infamous sexual assault case involving Stanford swimmer Brock Turner's attack on an unconscious survivor will now no longer hear criminal cases at his own request, according to The Mercury News.
Judge Aaron Persky was subject to a recall campaign and a public outcry after he sentenced Turner to only a six-month jail sentence. Now, he's asked only to hear civil cases.
"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," Santa Clara County Presiding Judge Rise Pichon said in a statement. "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."
The move will take effect September 6 and will be subject to an annual review, so it could very well be a temporary reassignment.
Stanford law professor Michelle Dauber, who led the recall effort against Judge Persky, said that she approved of the move, but it wouldn't stop their campaign. That's chiefly because he could move back to hearing criminal cases at will. Dauber argues that Persky still carries significant bias against sexual assault survivors.
Stanford, in response to the sexual assault, has banned hard alcohol from on-campus parties. People have decried the ban as missing the point.
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