A southern California judge is being publicly admonished for saying a rape victim "didn't put up a fight" during her assault and that if someone doesn't want sexual intercourse the body "will not permit that to happen".
The California Commission on Judicial Performance voted 10-0 to impose a public admonishment, saying superior court Judge Derek Johnson's comments were inappropriate and a breach of judicial ethics.
"In the commission's view the judge's remarks reflected outdated, biased and insensitive views about sexual assault victims who do not 'put up a fight', wrote Lawrence J Simi, the commission's chairman.
"Such comments cannot help but diminish public confidence and trust in the impartiality of the judiciary."
Johnson made the comments in the case of a man who threatened to mutilate the face and genitals of his former girlfriend with a heated screwdriver, beat her with a metal baton and made other violent threats before committing rape and other crimes.
Though the woman reported the criminal threats the next day, she did not report the rape until 17 days later.
Johnson, a former prosecutor in the Orange County district attorney's sex crimes unit, said during the man's 2008 sentencing that he had seen violent cases on that unit.
"I'm not a gynecologist but I can tell you something: if someone doesn't want to have sexual intercourse the body shuts down. The body will not permit that to happen unless a lot of damage is inflicted, and we heard nothing about that in this case."
The commission found that Johnson's view that a victim must resist to be a real victim of sexual assault was his opinion, not the law. Since 1980, California law has not required rape victims to prove they resisted or were prevented from resisting.
In an apology to the commission, Johnson said his comments were inappropriate. He said they were the result of his frustration during an argument with a prosecutor over the defendant's sentence.
Johnson said he believed the prosecutor's request of a 16-year sentence was not authorised by law. Johnson sentenced the rapist to six years instead, saying that's what the case was "worth".
During the US election campaign Republican Missouri senate nominee Todd Atkin sparked outrage when he said that women who are victims of what he called "legitmate rape" rarely get pregnant. He later apologised.
