1.2 million signatures handed in to remove Brock Turner sentencing judge

SAN FRANCISCO (KTVU) -- A national women's advocacy group delivered more than one million signatures Wednesday, calling for the removal of the judge in the Brock Turner Stanford sex assault case.

Members of the advocacy group, called "Ultra-Violet," rallied outside the State Building in San Francisco, then hand-delivered the petition with 1.2 million signatures to the Office of the California Commission on Judicial Performance calling for the ouster of Judge Aaron Persky.

Persky sentenced Turner to six months in jail, for the sexual assault of an unconscious woman during a fraternity party on campus. Although prosecutors asked for a 6-year prison sentence, the judge followed the recommendation of the parole officer for a more lenient sentence.

The decision generated national headlines as groups blasted the sentence handed down by Persky. Locally, the judge's ruling has prompted an enormous amount of controversy.

Holding signs and chanting "Fire Judge Persky!" the protesters on Wednesday said they were disgusted by the judge's decision. They also spoke about their own experiences with sexual assault.

The meeting by the California Commission on Judicial Performance is the panel's first meeting since the Turner sentencing. The state agency is responsible for investigating complaints of judicial misconduct.

This news comes several weeks after Persky was removed from a new sexual assault case.

The Santa Clara County District Attorney's office confirmed that Judge Aaron Persky was automatically removed from presiding over the case of a Kaiser Permanente surgical nurse accused of sexually assaulting a sedated woman, after prosecutors filed a peremptory challenge against the judge.

In regards to the decision to remove Persky from the case, Santa Clara County District Attorney Jeff Rosen issued a statement that read in part:

"After this and the recent turn of events, we lack confidence that Judge Persky can fairly participate in this upcoming hearing in which a male nurse sexually assaulted an anesthetized female patient. This is a rare and carefully considered step for our Office. In the future, we will evaluate each case on its own merits and decide if we should use our legal right to ask for another judge in order to protect public safety and pursue justice."