I was more than a little unsettled the other day to read about the successful recall petition involving California Judge Aaron Persky. Persky lost his appointment because he gave Brock Turner, an undergraduate at Stanford, a short prison sentence for a rape of a fellow student.

The recall petition was organized by Michele Dauber, a Stanford law professor. Even though the sentence—six months of jail and three years of probation—was more than the recommendation of the probation department, Professor Dauber apparently felt it was not enough and made no secret that she wanted to “send a message” to other judges about appropriate punishment for sexual assault. I suspect the #MeToo movement helped the effort gain traction.