Rose marie acqualina biography of donald

“Leave your pain here and go out and do your magnificent things," Judge Rosemarie Aquilina said to the 156 courageous girls and women who confronted their abuser Larry Nassar at his sentencing hearing this week. In her remarks before sentencing Nassar to up to 175 years in prison, Aquilina spoke out powerfully about the need to listen to victims and hold abusers accountable, asserting: "Inaction is an action. Silence is indifference. Justice requires action and a voice. And that is what has happened here in this court."

After giving every survivor the opportunity to speak who wished to do so -- an often cathartic experience for women whose voices had been silenced and ignored for years -- Aquilina urged all those watching the hearing to speak out and take action to help to end the epidemic of child sexual abuse: “The national crime victimization survey that’s done by the Justice Department annually reports that 310 out of every 1,000 assaults are reported to police, which means that two out of three go unreported. The voices of the survivors have asked everyone: ‘Report. Keep your voice up.'... One in 10 children will be sexually abused by their 18th birthday. One in 7 girls, 1 in 25 boys by their 18th birthday. That means that in the United States ― I’m not talking about any other country ― but in the United States, 400,000 babies born in the U.S. will become victims of child sexual abuse. It stops now. Speak out like these survivors, become part of the army.”

To read a collection of powerful quotes from the "army of survivors" who made statements at the hearing, visit Buzzfeed at http://bzfd.it/2Fim0iR

For books to start teaching children -- girls and boys alike -- from a young age about appropriate touching and personal boundaries, we recommend: "I Said No! A Kid-to-kid Guide to Keeping Private Parts Private" for ages 4 to 7 (http://amzn.to/2pDSNH2), "Your Body Belongs To You” for ages 3 to 5 (https://www

Judge Rosemarie Aquilina Reflects On Larry Nassar And A System That Shielded Him

One-hundred and fifty six. That’s the number of victims who spoke over seven days at the sentencing hearing of Dr. Larry Nassar in Lansing, Michigan, in January 2018.

For years, Nassar was USA Gymnastics’ (USAG) national team doctor, as well as a physician at Michigan State University (MSU). A pillar of his community, he also worked with dancers and athletes at a high school near where he lived. Over three decades, it’s estimated that he sexually abused hundreds of female athletes under the guise of “medical treatment.” Among the many USAG national team members who say Nassar sexually assaulted them are top gymnasts Aly Raisman, Gabby Douglas, Jordyn Wieber and Simone Biles.

In November 2017, Nassar pleaded guilty to seven counts of sexual assault of minors, thereby avoiding a trial. But during his sentencing hearing Judge Rosemarie Aquilina allowed any of Nassar’s victims, not just the seven, the opportunity to speak if they wanted. The 156 who addressed him in court represented a cross-section of the estimated hundreds of girls, many of them now grown with children of their own, who were sexually abused at the hands of the doctor over the years.

“I just signed your death warrant,” Judge Aquilina famously said in the courtroom as she imposed a state prison sentence of 175 years on Nassar. In July 2017, Nassar had been sentenced to 60 years in federal prison on child pornography convictions. In February 2019, he received an additional 40 to 125 years in state prison after pleading guilty to three more counts of sexual assault.

The sentences will be served back to back, ensuring that Nassar, 56, will never leave prison.

On December 6, the HBO film “At the Heart of Gold: Inside the USA Gymnastics Scandal” was screened at Southampton Arts Center as part of the Hamptons Doc Fest. In attendance was Judge Aquilina who spoke with host Andrew Botsford in a Q&A following the screening.

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    THAT OPINION IS not shared by the two lawyers from the State Appellate Defender's Office representing Nassar on appeal. A brief filed to the Michigan Court of Appeals in early April includes a reproduction of a drawing by Colorado-based syndicated cartoonist Drew Litton, in which Aquilina is depicted holding a rat -- labeled "Dr. Nassar" -- over a garbage disposal, with her finger about to flip the switch.

    The lawyers' beef is not with Litton but with the judge, who posted the cartoon on her Twitter feed in December 2018, with the comment: "Thank you for honoring me with this! And, for keeping the discussion for meaningful change moving forward.''

    Coming months into the appeals process, with the possibility that she could preside over a resentencing, the lawyers are citing that and other aspects of her conduct as examples of her entrenched bias. "It is impossible for a judge who has become so enmeshed in the public adoration and celebrity resulting from the severity of her treatment of Dr. Nassar to be seen as neutral and unbiased,'' they wrote. In other words, the rule of law has to be in force even for the most heinous defendants.

    The filing reviews Aquilina's most controversial utterances at the hearing, including her characterization of her sentence as a "death warrant'' and her stated wish that she could order Nassar to be subjected to the same acts he committed. Aquilina contends her strong language at the hearing was designed to channel collective outrage and defuse tensions in the courtroom. The state attorney general's office backed her up, and Garcia ruled against disqualifying her.

    Another line of argument in the appeal delves into the judge's post-hearing media interviews, public appearances, and social media posts, "likes" and emoji reactions, in an effort to show that she violated various canons of judicial behavior.

    The brief mentions that Eaton County District Judge Julie O'Neill, who was originally slated to preside over Nassar's pr

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