Judge in Stanford Rape Case Is Removed by California Voters

Aaron Persky, the Santa Clara County judge who triggered nationwide outrage by sentencing a Stanford student convicted of sexual assault to six months in jail, is the first California jurist to be recalled since 1932 after voters had their say Tuesday. According to early results, 59 percent of the county’s voters came out in favor of Persky’s removal, compared to 41 percent who opposed the move, according to the San Francisco Chronicle, which called the race late Tuesday. A campaign to unseat Persky was launched almost immediately after he handed down the lenient sentencing to Brock Turner in 2016, saying a longer prison sentence would have a “severe impact” on the 23-year-old competitive swimmer. Assistant District Attorney Cindy Hendrickson was the favorite among voters to take over and serve the remaining four years of Persky’s term, with 71 percent to opponent Angela Storey’s 29 percent.