Ridiculousness, State Judges, State Judges Are Clowns

Judge Encourages Groping Victim to Curtail Social Life Because 'Bad Things Can Happen in Bars'

Puritanical judge plays the blame game with a sex abuse victim because she went to a bar. Was she asking for it?

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Sigh. And just when we thought that the best way to avoid being raped or groped was to stop dressing like sluts, a judge announces that there’s a new way to avoid sexual abuse and assault.

It’s really quite simple. You see, all you need to do is never step foot outside of your home ever again. If you’re brave enough to cross the threshold of your front door, you should never go to a bar — very, very “bad things can happen in bars.” (Haven’t you seen that Jodie Foster movie? Ladies, that could be you bent over that pinball machine if you’re not careful!)

If only someone had told women about this strategy earlier, then perhaps judges wouldn’t have to admonish victims for their so-called poor life choices. After all, if women wouldn’t be so bold as to step out in public, then nothing bad would ever happen to them.

Thank God for judges with Puritanical values like these. Excuse me while I choke to death on my sarcasm….

Last week, an Arizona judge sentenced Robb Gary Evans, a former state Department of Public Safety officer, to two years of probation after he was convicted of groping a woman in a bar. This wasn’t your typical over the shirt grab-and-grope — nope, Evans slid his hand up his victim’s skirt and “ran his fingers across her genitals.” Even in our 50 Shades of Grey society, this is still disgusting.

But instead of offering harsh words for Evans, the judge scolded his victim. From the Arizona Daily Sun:

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The judge sentencing Evans, Coconino County Superior Court Judge Jacqueline Hatch, said she hoped both the defendant and the victim would take lessons away from the case.

Bad things can happen in bars, Hatch told the victim, adding that other people might be more intoxicated than she was.

“If you wouldn’t have been there that night, none of this would have happened to you,” Hatch said.

Just so we’re clear on this, if you’re a woman and you go to a bar, something bad will happen, but only because you were asking for it by virtue of the fact that you were out in public. Apparently women invite sexual abuse simply by being seen. This is what victims are being told these days — by a female judge, no less.

Judge Hatch, a Republican appointed by Governor Jan Brewer, has since offered a public apology, but claims that her comments were “poorly communicated.” Don’t worry judge, it’s not just you. Many Republicans’ comments about women have been “poorly communicated” in recent months.

Needless to say, thousands have already signed an online petition calling for Judge Hatch’s resignation, but according to a county spokesman, the judge has no intention of doing so. It would seem that Judge Hatch has no qualms about being seen in public — it appears that nobody wants to see what’s underneath her robes.

No jail time for Flagstaff cop in bar groping [Arizona Daily Sun]
Victim calls for judge to apologize [Arizona Daily Sun]
Judge Hatch apologizes to victim [Arizona Daily Sun]
Victim-blaming Arizona judge apologizes for comment in sex-abuse case, resists calls for resignation
[New York Daily News]

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Earlier: Police Tell Female Law Students ‘Don’t Dress Like a Slut’ To Avoid Sexual Assault

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