Voters recall Judge Aaron Persky (Brock Turner)

[Old Man Willow]

https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/2018/06/06/judge-aaron-persky-who-gave-brock-turners-lenient-sentence-sanford-rape-case-recalled/674551002/j

[quote]The controversial judge who sparked outrage after offering a lenient sentence to Brock Turner, a former Stanford University swimmer convicted of sexual assault, was recalled from office Wednesday — becoming the first California jurist recalled from the bench in 86 years.

The results of the vote came nearly two years after Persky's decision. During the sentencing hearing, Persky cited Turner's age, the fact that both he and the victim were drunk and that prison time could have a "severe" impact on Turner's life as the reasoning behind the lenient six-month sentence.

Turner ended up only serving three months due to good behavior.

[🦀🎂🦀🎂]

I don't agree with the sentence but I don't agree with the recall, which is basically just right wing law and order/string em up politics with a progressive veneer.

[America Needs a 13-6 Progressive SCOTUS]

Good to see that voters rejected White privilege.

[Free Bird]

Good to see that voters rejected White wealth privilege.

FTFY

[🦀🎂🦀🎂]

Good to see that voters rejected White privilege.

Persky was notable for letting PoC and those without lawyers off as well though. This is a right wing campaign through and through.

[SWE]

Good to see that voters rejected White privilege.

Yeah, sending a message that judges aren't issuing harsh enough sentences and need to be tougher on crime is going to be such a blow against white privilege and absolutely not the sort of thing that's going to adversely impact PoC.

[Calthrina950]

Good to see that voters rejected White privilege.

Yeah, sending a message that judges aren't issuing harsh enough sentences and need to be tougher on crime is going to be such a blow against white privilege and absolutely not the sort of thing that's going to adversely impact PoC.

Things would be completely different if the young man in question were a minority, specifically African-American. Anyone with some sense, and some understanding of our criminal justice system, would know that in that case, he probably would have been given a much harsher sentence. I definitely think that the young man's race and wealth had a role to play as to why he was given such a lenient sentence. I think that the outcome of this recall was appropriate.

[WritOfCertiorari]

Good to see that voters rejected White privilege.

Yeah, sending a message that judges aren't issuing harsh enough sentences and need to be tougher on crime is going to be such a blow against white privilege and absolutely not the sort of thing that's going to adversely impact PoC.

[🦀🎂🦀🎂]

Good to see that voters rejected White privilege.

Yeah, sending a message that judges aren't issuing harsh enough sentences and need to be tougher on crime is going to be such a blow against white privilege and absolutely not the sort of thing that's going to adversely impact PoC.

Things would be completely different if the young man in question were a minority, specifically African-American. Anyone with some sense, and some understanding of our criminal justice system, would know that in that case, he probably would have been given a much harsher sentence. I definitely think that the young man's race and wealth had a role to play as to why he was given such a lenient sentence. I think that the outcome of this recall was appropriate.

Yes, but as I said Persky in particular was noted for giving leniant sentences to PoC and those without representation. And watch judges across California double their sentences and avoid parole for fear of being Perskeyd.

[Virginiá]

Yes, but as I said Persky in particular was noted for giving leniant sentences to PoC and those without representation. And watch judges across California double their sentences and avoid parole for fear of being Perskeyd.

I suppose that's a good point, but I'd like to think some of these judges may just walk away with the conclusion that giving lenient sentences to rapists might be unwise for their professional career, as opposed to lenient sentences in general.

[SWE]

Good to see that voters rejected White privilege.

Yeah, sending a message that judges aren't issuing harsh enough sentences and need to be tougher on crime is going to be such a blow against white privilege and absolutely not the sort of thing that's going to adversely impact PoC.

This doesn't change Brock Turner's sentence, but I guess good job not understanding anything if you think this means that and not judges across the board taking more hardline stances in sentencing, something that will disproportionately impact people of color.

[BundouYMB]

Good to see that voters rejected White privilege.

Yeah, sending a message that judges aren't issuing harsh enough sentences and need to be tougher on crime is going to be such a blow against white privilege and absolutely not the sort of thing that's going to adversely impact PoC.

This doesn't change Brock Turner's sentence, but I guess good job not understanding anything if you think this means that and not judges across the board taking more hardline stances in sentencing, something that will disproportionately impact people of color.

Stop being completely disingenuous. People of color already get hard sentences. It's obvious that the "message" from this is that people are sick of white people getting off with light sentences, and if "judges across the board" take a message that will be it.

Just admit that like most of the far left you want people across the board to get light sentences. You want people of color to get off the hook as easy as white people do, rather than for whites to get sentences as harsh as people of color get now. Your crocodile tears about racism when you actually just want rapists to get off the hook easy makes me want to gag.

[SWE]

Stop being completely disingenuous. People of color already get hard sentences. It's obvious that the "message" from this is that people are sick of white people getting off with light sentences, and if "judges across the board" take a message that will be it.

Admittedly, "things physically cannot get worse for PoC" is probably the most reasonable response to this point, I personally don't buy it. When you make leniency a political liability for judges, they're going to institute tougher sentences to defendants in general, and the fact of the matter is that most defendants are PoC.

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Well, yeah. I don't think I've ever pretended that this wasn't my position. I don't think the solution to our broken criminal justice system is to make it worse, but for more people so it's equal.

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[Calthrina950]

Good to see that voters rejected White privilege.

Yeah, sending a message that judges aren't issuing harsh enough sentences and need to be tougher on crime is going to be such a blow against white privilege and absolutely not the sort of thing that's going to adversely impact PoC.

This is a good "visual summary" of this whole situation.

[BundouYMB]

Just admit that like most of the far left you want people across the board to get light sentences. You want people of color to get off the hook as easy as white people do, rather than for whites to get sentences as harsh as people of color get now.

Well, yeah. I don't think I've ever pretended that this wasn't my position. I don't think the solution to our broken criminal justice system is to make it worse, but for more people so it's equal.

Why the question marks?

You're literally saying here that Brock Turner getting off virtually scott free for raping someone is something that should be replicated across our criminal justice system in other cases.

[WritOfCertiorari]

Stop being completely disingenuous. People of color already get hard sentences. It's obvious that the "message" from this is that people are sick of white people getting off with light sentences, and if "judges across the board" take a message that will be it.

Admittedly, "things physically cannot get worse for PoC" is probably the most reasonable response to this point, I personally don't buy it. When you make leniency a political liability for judges, they're going to institute tougher sentences to defendants in general, and the fact of the matter is that most defendants are PoC.

You must be logged in to read this quote.

Well, yeah. I don't think I've ever pretended that this wasn't my position. I don't think the solution to our broken criminal justice system is to make it worse, but for more people so it's equal.

You must be logged in to read this quote.

The problem here is that you literally don't know what the appropriate punishment for crimes should be, especially violent crimes. Any cretin can shout "JUDGES ARE BEING TOO HARSH" without understanding any aspect of the situation. There are so many variables here that even the most experienced people, including both defense and prosecuting attorneys, really are just playing it by ear in many cases. For you to make blanket statements like "this will cause all people of color to get harsher sentences" is nonsensical, because it doesn't work like that. Each case is pretty much a world unto itself.

This isn't even endemic to the United States... its a worldwide issue that isn't getting better.

[SWE]

You're literally saying here that Brock Turner getting off virtually scott free for raping someone is something that should be replicated across our criminal justice system in other cases.

No I'm not. Brock Turner's sentence obvious was ridiculous and he should have been given a harsher sentence. But I don't believe that's what this recall will accomplish. I've been making pretty general statements about the American criminal justice system that you're using to claim I'd take the exact same stance in every individual case.

The problem here is that you literally don't know what the appropriate punishment for crimes should be, especially violent crimes. Any cretin can shout "JUDGES ARE BEING TOO HARSH" without understanding any aspect of the situation. There are so many variables here that even the most experienced people, including both defense and prosecuting attorneys, really are just playing it by ear in many cases. For you to make blanket statements like "this will cause all people of color to get harsher sentences" is nonsensical, because it doesn't work like that. Each case is pretty much a world unto itself.

This isn't even endemic to the United States... its a worldwide issue that isn't getting better.

Unless I'm wildly misinterpreting you (and please correct me if I am), this seems to be ignoring the existence of systemic problems within our criminal justice system.

[🦀🎂🦀🎂]

Fwiw what swayed me was this piece from HuffPo, which I highly recommend:

https://highline.huffingtonpost.com/articles/en/brock-turner-michele-dauber/

Your crocodile tears about racism when you actually just want rapists to get off the hook easy makes me want to gag.

This is always an annoying debate tactic, because you can very easily turn it around and say something like "Your crocodile tears about sexual assault when you actually just want PoC to get locked up makes me want to gag." Of course, it would be totally unfair for me to say that, as I have no reason to believe you are being disingenuous, but you have just as little reason to believe SWE is being duplicitous.

[Rookie Yinzer]

Good to see that voters rejected White privilege.

Yeah, sending a message that judges aren't issuing harsh enough sentences and need to be tougher on crime is going to be such a blow against white privilege and absolutely not the sort of thing that's going to adversely impact PoC.

This doesn't change Brock Turner's sentence, but I guess good job not understanding anything if you think this means that and not judges across the board taking more hardline stances in sentencing, something that will disproportionately impact people of color.

Um, he raped someone. The main objective of sentencing reform is when it comes to non-violent drug offenses that are victimless crimes. Rapists white and black should have the book thrown at them.

[Filuwaúrdjan]

The 'arguments' made in this thread are an excellent example of why the public should have absolutely no say whatsoever in the appointment or retention of members of the judiciary.

[Chancellor Tanterterg]

Yes, but as I said Persky in particular was noted for giving leniant sentences to PoC and those without representation. And watch judges across California double their sentences and avoid parole for fear of being Perskeyd.

I suppose that's a good point, but I'd like to think some of these judges may just walk away with the conclusion that giving lenient sentences to rapists might be unwise for their professional career, as opposed to lenient sentences in general.

This

[Stranger in a strange land]

Or maybe, in the same way that giving extremely harsh sentences for everyone across the board is bad, giving extremely lenient sentences to everyone across the board is also bad?

[Badger]

The end result of this vote will be CA judges becoming generally more inclined to impose harsher sentences across the board. Don't think for a moment it'll be limited to rich white kids who find themselves in the dock. This will negatively affect PoC, and poor people of every race frankly, 100 times worse than it'll impact the Brock Turners of the world.

For that matter, when there is a rich white kid in the dock who genuinely deserves some leniency in their particular case, judges will be even more inclined to impose unfair undeserved sentences out of particular fear of being Persky.

Brock Turner's sentencing was awful, without question. But ask yourself, which is a greater problem in the system today: Rich white kids periodically skating worse than they should (to any degree worse than PoC and the poor periodically skate on cases); or PoC and the poor getting hammered by excessive sentences creating an overflow of incarceration? Most of you probably--correctly--answered the latter. In which case you should be lamenting, not celebrating, Persky's recall.

Sure, it happened as a result of the Brock Turner case, but the impact will be overwhelmingly inflicted the poor and PoC in the judicial system.

[IndustrialJustice]

Or maybe, in the same way that giving extremely harsh sentences for everyone across the board is bad, giving extremely lenient sentences to everyone across the board is also bad?

Proof?

[MarkD]

The ‘arguments’ made in this thread are an excellent example of why the public should have absolutely no say whatsoever in the appointment or retention of members of the judiciary.

But that statement was posted before this one. ....

The end result of this vote will be CA judges becoming generally more inclined to impose harsher sentences across the board. Don't think for a moment it'll be limited to rich white kids who find themselves in the dock. This will negatively affect PoC, and poor people of every race frankly, 100 times worse than it'll impact the Brock Turners of the world.

For that matter, when there is a rich white kid in the dock who genuinely deserves some leniency in their particular case, judges will be even more inclined to impose unfair undeserved sentences out of particular fear of being Persky.

Brock Turner's sentencing was awful, without question. But ask yourself, which is a greater problem in the system today: Rich white kids periodically skating worse than they should (to any degree worse than PoC and the poor periodically skate on cases); or PoC and the poor getting hammered by excessive sentences creating an overflow of incarceration? Most of you probably--correctly--answered the latter. In which case you should be lamenting, not celebrating, Persky's recall.

Sure, it happened as a result of the Brock Turner case, but the impact will be overwhelmingly inflicted the poor and PoC in the judicial system.