Judge Rosemarie Aquilina to remain on Larry Nassar case

Judge Rosemarie Aquilina, who sentenced 54-year-old disgraced former USA Gymnastics and Michigan State University physician Larry Nassar to between 40 and 175 years in state prison on seven sexual assault charges, is set to remain on the Nassar case.

This is the case despite the fact that Nassar's new attorneys, Malaika Ramsey-Heath and Jacqueline McCann, filed to have him resentenced in Ingham County, Michigan by a judge other than Judge Aquilina.

This motion was shot down by Ingham County Circuit Court Chief Judge Richard Garcia. Here is some of what he had to say about the matter, which went to him after Judge Aquilina refused to remove herself from the case almost two weeks ago, according to the Lansing State Journal.

"The die was cast in the courtroom and Defendant's sentence was forged by his own words and deeds. Consideration of whether he should be resentenced can be fairly reviewed by the judge uniquely situated to provide justice in this case.The judge who heard these survivors is the only one who should properly render any re-sentence."

Judge Garcia made these remarks in his seven-page opinion regarding the matter, which you can read here.

Here is what Andrea Bitely, a spokeswoman for the Michigan attorney general's office, which served as prosecutor on Nassar's sexual assault charges had to say about the matter in an e-mail, according to the Lansing State Journal.

"[Michigan] Attorney General [Bill] Schuette agrees with Judge Garcia: Judge Aquilina was a fair and impartial judge."

Judge Aquilina issued Nassar this lengthy 40-to-175-year state prison sentence in Ingham County, Michigan back in January following a seven-day sentencing hearing during which 156 of the people who have accused Nassar of sexual assault delivered victim impact statements in front of him and 13 others had victim impact statements delivered in front of him on their behalves.

Nassar, who has been accused of sexually assaulting more than 300 people, many of whom female gymnasts, under the guise of medical treatment for more than two decades, was issued two other lengthy sentences within the last year as well.

In December, Nassar was issued a 60-year federal prison sentence, which he is currently serving at United States Penitentiary, Tucson in Tucson, Arizona, by U.S. District Judge Janet Neff on three child pornography charges.

In February, Nassar was issued his third prison sentence and second state prison sentence by Judge Janice Cunningham in Eaton County, Michigan. The state prison sentence issued to him by Judge Cunningham is for between 40 and 125 years, and it was issued to him on three additional sexual assault charges.

This second state prison sentence was issued to him following a three-day sentencing hearing during which 65 of the people who have accused Nassar of sexual assault delivered victim impact statements in front of him.

This sentencing hearing even included an attempted attack on Nassar, who ended up being physically assaulted in prison like many people expected he would shortly after he was released to the general population of the maximum-security United States Penitentiary, Tucson.

Because of the fact that Nassar's attorneys also filed last week to have him resentenced by a judge other than Judge Cunningham in Eaton County, they have now appealed all three of the prison sentences that he was issued since this past December.

A hearing on the most recent motion filed by Nassar's lawyers pertaining to his sentencing in Eaton County is scheduled for Thursday, September 6 at 1:30 p.m. ET.

Nassar was also charged with six counts of second-degree sexual assault of a child in Texas as a result of the Károlyi Ranch investigation conducted by the Walker County Sheriff's Office and the Texas Rangers, but no additional prison time was issued to him as a result of these charges.