Judge Persky’s decision to hand down a six-month sentence to Turner—who may only have to serve three months on good behavior—has outraged the nation. A petition with over 1 million signatures, as of June 10, has called for the resignation of Persky.
“Judge Persky failed to see that the fact that Brock Turner is a white male star athlete at a prestigious university does not entitle him to leniency,” said the petition. “He also failed to send the message that sexual assault is against the law regardless of social class, race, gender or other factors.”
Vice President Joe Biden offered support to the victim in an open letter released on June 9.
“I am filled with furious anger—both that this happened to you and that our culture is still so broken that you were ever put in the position of defending your own worth,” he wrote.“It must have been wrenching—to relive what he did to you all over again. But you did it anyway, in the hope that your strength might prevent this crime from happening to someone else. Your bravery is breathtaking.”
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