Letters: Unfit to judge

Re “O.C. judge admonished for rape case comments,” Dec. 14

Orange County Superior Court Judge Derek G. Johnson received a public admonishment Thursday for saying in a rape case that “if someone doesn’t want to have sexual intercourse, the body shuts down.”

Although his comments are likely to diminish respect for the judiciary, the real damage to that respect is to continue to allow anyone holding such beliefs to sit as a judge. If Johnson is ever again allowed to preside over any case involving sexual violence, it will be a travesty of justice in its own right.

Just as the punishment Johnson meted out to the rapist needs to be reexamined to determine if it was severe enough, so too does the commission’s action against the judge.

Richard F. Corlin

Santa Monica

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