Members of congress read victim letter in Stanford sex assault case

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Thursday, June 16, 2016
House members read victim letter in Stanford sex assault case
Members of the House of Representatives are reading the powerful letter written by the victim in the Stanford sexual assault case.

SANTA CLARA, Calif. (KGO) -- A community rally will take place to try to force judge Aaron Persky from the bench.

Persky is the Santa Clara County judge who sentenced former Stanford swimmer Brock Turner to six months in jail for sexually assaulting an unconscious woman, a sentence many feel is too lenient.

RELATED: Victim writes letter to Brock Turner

The case drew national attention after the victim's letter to the defendant was made public.

There are few stages bigger than the floor of the United States House of Representatives and that's exactly where lawmakers shined a spotlight on the issue of sexual assault.

Nineteen lawmakers, men and women, Republicans and Democrats recited out loud the entire 12-page, 7,200 word letter to the court, written by the Stanford sexual assault survivor.

San Francisco and Peninsula congresswoman Jackie Speier spearheaded this symbolic act to ensure it would be documented as part of American history.

VIDEO: Brock Turner's sexual assault sentence sparks outrage

RELATED: Prosecution memo stresses Brock Turner had history of harassing women

Click here for full coverage on the Brock Turner case.