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Larry Nassar, the former Olympic doctor who was accused of molesting over 150 girls, received his sentencing on January 24, 2018. Judge Rosemarie Aquilina sentenced him to 40 to 175 years, meaning that he will most likely die in prison. Aquilina, herself, knew this. “I just signed your death warrant,” she said.
Many people applauded Aquilina, throughout the trial, for being an advocate for the victims who came forward. However, many felt that her comments on the last day took a turn for the inappropriate, with some people calling her out as grandstanding. People believed that during the last day of the trial, Aquilina began to seek the audience’s approval and thought that she turned the spotlight from the victims to herself. Additionally, some people think that she didn’t act impartially throughout the trial, and turned herself more into an advocate for the victims rather than an impartial judge.
However, while these comments are valid–indeed, Aquilina’s comments on how the Constitution doesn’t allow cruel and unusual punishment, but how she wished that Nassar experienced the same things his victims did while in prison were definitely low-lights of her behaviour throughout the trial–people often forget that many judges make similar comments during victim impact statements and the subsequent trials. Judge Aquilina’s comments received more of a spotlight because so many of the victims are in the spotlight. Aly Raisman, Jordyn Wieber, and McKayla Maroney were three of the Olympians who had their statements presented, during the trial, with all three of them being Olympic medalists. There’s also the fact that Nassar molested over 150 girls, which is astronomical. With those facts in mind, it’s impossible for the spotlight to not be on Judge Aquilina as well. She wouldn’t be the first member of the law who was in the spotlight; the majority of college students might be too young to remember the OJ Simpson trial, but everybody knows that everyone in that courtroom became a celebrity overnight, including Judge Lance Ito. Why would it be any different for Judge Aquilina?
There’s also the fact that the verdict for this case had already been given before the victim statements were read. Nasser knew what his sentencing was going to be–he complained in his letter to the judge that he got a forty year sentence for child porn that he “only” had for four months–and he already pled guilty. He tried to weasel out of listening to the victims. He already sent the judge a letter saying how all the people he molested were also the girls “who kept coming back,” and the line, “hell hath no fury like a woman scorned.” Keep in mind that some of these women were only six when he started molesting them. His comments show that he’s sorry that he got caught, he’s not sorry that he molested those women.
Judge Aquilina heard and understood what these molestations did to Nasser victims. She heard the story of Chelsea Markham through her mother, Donna. Donna Markham told the judge her daughter’s story because Chelsea committed suicide when she was 23 after being molested by Nasser. Aquilina heard the story of Kyla Stephens, who told people that she didn’t have a family after her family refused to believe she was molested. She heard Jennifer Hayes’ statement, on how Nasser would stick an ungloved finger in Hayes’ vagina, and claim it was treatment. Aquilina heard these stories every day for seven days. She heard them with the knowledge of Nasser’s letter, showing that he did not care for his victims, and he felt no remorse whatsoever. His statement on the last day was a lie, and Aquilina knew it. While it’s impossible to know what exactly Aquilina was thinking when Nasser read his final statement, she must have felt incredibly enraged. She listened to all of these women’s stories and believed every single one of them, and he had the audacity to lie and say that he was sorry?
Yes, perhaps Aquilina could have been more careful with the comments she made. Perhaps she shouldn’t have made the comment on how she hoped that Larry Nasser would be raped in prison. As nice of a gift it is, perhaps she shouldn’t have tossed his letter aside.
But Judge Rosemarie Aquilina proved that she is human, and she knows how much these survivors are hurting, and how they need someone to believe them and care for them–something Larry Nasser, Michigan State University and the U.S. Olympics did not do. Most of the time judges are supposed to be impartial; however, sometimes truth requires human emotion of impartiality.