A California judge under fire for the light sentence he gave to ex-Stanford University swimmer Brock Turner has recused himself from making his first key decision in another sex-crimes case, per the AP. Santa Clara County Judge Aaron Persky filed a statement with the court saying that some people might doubt his impartiality, the Mercury News reports. The judge is the target of a recall campaign that started in June after he sentenced Turner, then 20, to six months in jail for sexually assaulting an intoxicated woman who passed out behind a trash bin after a fraternity party. Persky was scheduled this week to consider a request from Robert Chain to reduce his conviction for possessing child pornography from a felony to a misdemeanor. The judge said last year he would be receptive to the idea if the plumber stayed sober.
"While on vacation earlier this month, my family and I were exposed to publicity surrounding this case," the judge wrote in his brief ruling. "This publicity has resulted in a personal family situation such that 'a person aware of the facts might reasonably entertain a doubt that the judge would be able to be impartial.'" The newspaper reports that Michele Dauber, a Stanford law professor who's leading the recall campaign, said she's pleased by Persky's recusal. Gary Goodman, a deputy public defender who opposes a recall, said the recusal is a prime example of Persky's integrity. Also Monday, Stanford University officials announced a ban on hard liquor at undergraduate on-campus parties. The move follows the outcry over the sentence for the assault, which happened after both Turner and his victim drank at a campus party. (More Aaron Persky stories.)
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