How the Judge in Larry Nassar's Case Undermined Justice
It was no surprise that the most memorable figures in the dramatic sentencing of
former Olympic Doctor Larry Nassar were Nassar himself and the nearly
160 young women who delivered victim impact statements. More surprising were the headlines made by the judge, Rosemarie Aquilina, who after her blistering sentencing statement was variously described as a
media master, an
avenging angel and
a social media sensation. She may be all those things, but her job description is “Judge,” and a case can be made that, with that same sentencing statement, she hurt the cause of justice.
I come to court to insist that the judiciary respect the constitutional rights that protect us all, and in doing so, I have to be able to trust that judges will fairly and impartially apply the law.
At Wednesday’s sentencing hearing, Judge Aquilina betrayed that trust, or at least appeared to do so. In handing down Nassar’s punishment, she
said, “Our Constitution does not allow for cruel and unusual punishment. If it did, I have to say, I might allow what he did to all of these beautiful souls — these young women in their childhood — I would allow someone or many people to do to him what he did to others.” Since this was impossible, she settled for announcing that it was her “
honor and privilege” to sentence him to a term of forty to 175 years in prison, to be served after completion of his already-imposed 60-year term. As she accurately
put it, she had “just signed [Nassar’s] death warrant.”