Voters Recall Judge in Brock Turner Rape Case

The California judge who prompted a national outcry after handing former Stanford University swimmer Brock Turner a six-month sentence for sexual assault has been recalled by voters in Santa Clara County.

With 43 percent of county precincts reporting, 59 percent of voters favored the recall of Superior Court Judge Aaron Persky, 41 percent opposed the recall, according to The Associated Press, who called the vote early Wednesday.

Persky becomes the first California judge in 86 years to be recalled.

Women outraged by Turner's lenient sentence led the charge to recall Persky from his post, saying he is unfit to serve out the remaining four years of his term. Persky's defenders argued that a recall would undermine judicial independence and might unintentionally lead to longer sentences for far less privileged felons.

Turner was convicted in 2016 of sexually assaulting an unconscious woman behind a dumpster at a fraternity party when he was a student at Stanford University.

View Full Story From NPR