Judge Who Sentenced Brock Turner Is Now Coaching Girl's High School Tennis

The former Superior Court judge responsible for convicted rapist Brock Turner’s controversial sentence now works as a tennis coach for high school girls.

Aaron Persky, who previously defended his sentencing before being recalled last year, has accepted a position coaching junior varsity girls tennis at Lynbrook High School in San Jose, California, the Huffington Post reports. Describing Persky as a “highly qualified applicant,” Rachel Zlotziver, a spokesperson for the Fremont Union High School District, confirmed to the outlet that Persky applied for the job over the summer and has since completed all hiring requirements associated with the position.

Persky, Zlotziver said, is qualified because he’s “attended several tennis coaching clinics for youth, and holds a high rating from the United States Tennis Association.”

The former judge, who now uses his full name of Michael Aaron Persky, was booted from the bench after nearly 60 percent of Santa Clara County residents voted in favor of his recall. Persky famously sentenced Turner, then a swimmer at Stanford University, to only six months in jail for sexually assaulting an unconscious woman at a party, sparking widespread backlash that only increased after Turner was released for good behavior after only serving half of what many activists have deemed an inadequate sentence.

Persky defended his decision last year, stating during his first ever television interview that, despite the burgeoning popularity of the #MeToo movement, he’d likely make the same decision again.

Despite the criticism levied at Persky, school officials insisted that they were unaware of his connection to the case, with Zlotziver telling the Huffington Post that it “was brought to [the school’s] attention” last week.

Persky’s hiring seems to have been met with some trepidation from parents, prompting school officials to hold a meeting Monday with parents of students involved with the JV and varsity girls tennis teams, the outlet reports.

“Our focus remains on ensuring that our students have the best possible educational experience ― both academically and athletically,” Zlotziver said.

The Brock Turner case has continued to make headlines in recent months. While the woman he assaulted was previously known only as Emily Doe, she recently revealed her full name — Chanel Miller — and announced her intention to tell her own story, in her own words, in a memoir due to hit shelves on September 24.