STANFORD, CA (KRON/CNN) - Judge Aaron Persky said he thinks about his ruling in the Brock Turner case all the time. He said he also thinks about the victim.
Persky said he didn't think the criticism of his decision in the 2016 case would be as vicious as it has been.
Turner, a Stanford athlete at the time, was sentenced to six months in jail and three months probation after he was convicted on three counts of sexual assault.
"How many judges want to drive down the streets of their neighborhood with their two children in the car and see a lawn sign - their father's pictures next to a mugshot?" Persky said.
He believes judicial recalls should be reserved for misconduct by a judge or incompetence.
"I don't anticipate if the recall is successful for there to be a spate of judicial recalls,” Persky said. “It's much more subtle, and I believe much more insidious than that. The judicial recall, if successful, will be a silent force, a silent, corrupting force, a force that will enter into the minds of judges as they contemplate difficult decisions."
Michele Dauber, who chairs the committee to recall Persky, disagrees with his opinion on the potential impact of a recall.
"What would hurt public confidence in the judiciary, actually, would be failing to recall Judge Persky - because Judge Persky is biased, and nearly 100,000 voters signed a petition to recall him because they have lost confidence in his ability to be fair," she said.
The recall will be held during the statewide elections on June 5.
Copyright 2018 KRON via CNN. All rights reserved.
