Brock Turner sentencing sets off outrage in Stanford sexual assault case

Brock Turner, the former Stanford University student convicted of sexually assaulting an unconscious woman, on Wednesday lost his appeal to a higher court.

Turner’s case previously drew national attention after he received a six-month sentence, of which he served just three months, for sexually assaulting a drunk and unconscious woman. The sentence was widely seen as an example of privilege in action, since Turner was a white Stanford student and a member of the school swim team. As CNN host Jake Tapper noted at the time, “What if it had been a black or Latino man at a less prominent college?”

Many people were outraged by the light sentence given to Brock Turner, the former Stanford swimmer, after his sexual assault conviction: a mere six months (of which he served three). The sentence inspired a national debate. On Tuesday, voters in Santa Clara County voted to recall Judge Aaron Persky, who imposed that sentence.

That is a terrible mistake, whether or not you agree with the sentence.

Voters have recalled Santa Clara County Superior Court Judge Aaron Persky, who oversaw the highly controversial Brock Turner sexual assault case.

With two-thirds of precincts reporting, 59 percent of Santa Clara County voters voted against Persky, according to Grace Wyler at BuzzFeed.

In 2016, Brock Turner was sentenced to six months in jail for sexually assaulting a woman who was drunk and unconscious — a sentence widely considered so outrageous that it led to weeks of national furor. And yet Turner served just three months of that sentence, setting off yet another firestorm.

Now the man who handed down that sentence, Santa Clara County Superior Court Judge Aaron Persky, has been recalled by local voters: With two-thirds of precincts reporting, 59 percent of Santa Clara County voters voted against Persky. He’s the first judge successfully recalled in California since 1932 and the first in the US since 1977.

When Brock Allen Turner, a 20-year-old former Stanford University student, was found guilty of sexually assaulting an unconscious woman, the verdict seemed to address a broader problem at Stanford and campuses across the country: the leniency accused sexual abusers are afforded while the lives of victims are turned upside down.

In June, Turner was sentenced to six months in county jail and three years’ probation. He only served three months of his sentence.

The judge who sentenced Brock Turner to just six months in jail for sexually assaulting a woman at a Stanford fraternity party has been removed from another sexual assault case — because the district attorney’s office, which asked for the removal, doesn’t trust him to judge it fairly.

Aaron Persky was supposed to preside over a case involving a male nurse accused of sexually assaulting a female patient while she was under anesthesia. But the administrative judge of the court complied with the request of the Santa Clara District Attorney’s Office to remove him on Tuesday.

Brock Turner, the former Stanford student who was convicted of sexually assaulting an unconscious woman, will never be allowed to compete in a USA Swimming–sanctioned event, the organization confirmed to USA Today on Thursday.

Nicole Auerbach reported for USA Today:

Brock Turner’s conviction for a sexual assault at Stanford gained worldwide attention last week after his victim wrote a powerful letter condemning Turner’s light sentence, as well as his refusal to take full responsibility for his crime by blaming alcohol and campus “party culture.“

Since then, there’s been some discussion about the terms “rape” and “sexual assault,” and what the difference between them is. Some have argued that the media isn’t making a strong enough statement about Turner when it uses the word “sexual assault” instead of “rape” or “rapist.”

Mounting criticism over Brock Turner’s lenient six-month sentencing has officially made its way to Congress.

On Thursday, Rep. Ted Poe (R-TX) took to the House floor, calling out Judge Aaron Persky’s sentence for Turner’s three convictions for sexual assault. Persky said a long prison sentence would have a “severe impact” on Turner’s life.

The Stanford sexual assault survivor’s letter to her assailant touched the hearts of many, including Vice President Joe Biden, who wrote back.

Biden sent “An Open letter to a Courageous Young Woman,” addressed to the victim, to BuzzFeed News Thursday, thanking her for a message that will undoubtedly “save lives” in the future.

Yet in a written statement to the judge in his case, Turner placed the blame for his assault on “drinking,” the college “party culture,” and his desire to “fit in.”

Turner’s case gained national attention after a powerful letter from his victim about the attack went viral. The unnamed woman discussed her disbelief and anger at Turner’s lenient sentence (six months in jail and three years’ probation for a crime that should carry a penalty of two to 14 years in jail in California), and at the way Turner “failed to exhibit sincere remorse or responsibility for his conduct.”

For the first time this year, colleges are required to publicly disclose the number of rapes, broken out from sexual assaults, reported on their campuses. That means it’s possible to create a list of the most rape-ridden colleges in the US. And of course, because there has never been a ranked list of colleges on the internet that people won’t click on, that’s exactly what is happening.

This is a terrible idea.

The unnamed woman who was sexually assaulted by Stanford student Brock Turner plans to remain anonymous, in part, she says, to make an important statement.

Turner was sentenced to six months in county jail and three years’ probation, and will have to join the sex offender registry. Though his image and background have been made public, especially since he was an elite athlete, the victim has been able to remain unnamed and will continue to do so.

How will the media treat a convicted or accused criminal? It’s increasingly clear that race plays a tremendous role.

On Twitter, Kelly Ellis pointed out the disparity, showing the differences in how the Washington Post covered a white former Stanford University student and black men accused of sexual assault: