Stanford Sex Assault Judge Recuses Himself from New Case

The Santa Clara County judge who came under fire earlier this year for the light sentence he gave 20-year-old Stanford rapist Brock Turner is steering clear of an upcoming case involving another sex-related crime.

In a brief filed with the Court, Judge Aaron Persky said he and his family had recently been exposed to publicity surrounding the new case. A reasonable person could therefore conclude that he’s unable to be impartial, the judge said.

Persky would have been tasked with deciding whether to reduce a man’s sentence for possession of child pornography to a misdemeanor. Judge Kenneth P. Barnum will now make the determination in that case.

Persky is currently the target of a recall effort over his June decision to sentence Turner to just six months in county jail. The leader of that effort, Stanford law professor Michele Dauber, is glad Persky is recusing himself, saying she didn’t believe he was doing a good job in the case to begin with. Deputy public defender Gary Goodman, who opposes the recall, called it evidence of Persky’s integrity.

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