Cammy Vaughan held on tight to her victim impact statement as the presiding judge, Robert Adrian, overturned her conviction during the sentencing of her rapist, almost causing her to be disbarred from her judgeship two years later. It was an unprecedented move.
In a January 2022 ruling, a judge in Quincy, Illinois, said “these things happen” when teenagers drink underage and when “coeds and women” swim in their underwear. Drew Clinton, then 18, was reckless.
“The evidence was there. The judge could see it. Everyone could see it. We were all very happy that he was finally going to prison.” I was ecstatic,” Vaughn, who was 16 at the time of the attack, told FOX News Digital. .
“On the day of the sentencing, the judge slapped us all in the face out of nowhere and said, ‘I’m not going to send this young man to the Department of Corrections,’ and then went on to chastise me. … I was like, ‘Very, I became so emotional that I had to leave the courtroom. I burst into tears and ran to the bathroom. I couldn’t stay there any longer. Afterwards, I felt heartbroken. Ta”
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Cammy Vaughn attends her high school graduation with her father, stepmother, sister, and brother. (Cammy Vaughan)
The ordeal began with an attack at a graduation party in May 2021. Five months later, Adrian found Mr. Clinton guilty of sexually assaulting Mr. Vaughn.
That led to a reversal in January 2022, with Adrian saying the 148 days Clinton spent in prison was punishment enough, the Associated Press reported.
In a 33-page decision, the Illinois State Courts Commission threw Mr. Adrian out of the courtroom for abusing his power to “evade the law” and impose a mandatory sentence on Mr. Clinton, saying, “What constitutes a just sentence? “To satisfy personal beliefs about.” February 23rd.
Adrian told Fox News Digital that the commission’s decision to fire him was “unfair” and “unconstitutional,” but he said he could not appeal the decision. .
“They’re completely wrong,” Adrian said. “They (the court committee) did not examine the evidence, but the evidence showed that he (Mr. Clinton) was innocent.”
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Adrian had a 13-year career as a judge and had no complaints or other discipline, but “several lawyers” supported him and said he was “well-versed in the law” and “unbiased.” He has a reputation for carrying out his duties,” the proxy testified. Integrity,” the committee’s report states.
However, that was not enough to save his career, and he won the relegation battle in November 2022 with 62% of the vote, extending his career. A 60% vote is required for the justices to retain their seats.
“This is election fraud,” he said. “It disenfranchises the people who voted for me.”
He said that’s what he’s going to do, with virtually no other recourse and the fact that he’s reaching retirement age.
judge robert adrien (Jake Shane/Quincy Herald Whig via AP/File)
The commission’s report focused on comments the former judge made during sentencing about Vaughan’s swimwear and underage drinking.
“These types of comments, combined with the fact that the defendant reversed his stance and that the female victim voluntarily swam in her underwear while intoxicated, made the defendant believe that Mr. Clinton did not deserve to go to prison for sexual assault.” “This could give the public the impression that the government believes that,” the committee wrote.
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Ms. Vaughan reserved some of her disdain for the former judge and his comments in particular, but said the former judge was a “sexist and disgusting person.”
“This is what happens when people do that, yeah, that’s all I’ll say about him,” she said.
Cammy Vaughan has a message for victims of sexual assault and rape. She can report the suspect and take power back from the perpetrator. (Chris Everhart/Zoom)
Cammy Vaughan is pictured with her grandmother. (Cammy Vaughan)
News of the state court commission’s decision came months earlier than expected, Vaughn told FOX News Digital in a Zoom interview, which she said she couldn’t believe.
“I was at home with my boyfriend and I had to go out for a bit and I started crying. I was so happy,” she said. “I couldn’t believe it. I didn’t expect to know the verdict for at least a few months, and the verdict here was sudden. It was just a rush of emotions.”
“And I’m still so glad he’s no longer a judge because he can’t hurt anyone anymore. He’s gone.”
Recalling the attack: “Afterwards he played video games as if he hadn’t just raped me.”
Since then, Vaughn has moved out of Quincy, is in a stable relationship, and works full-time as an assistant (and youngest employee) at an eye doctor’s office, where he is eyeing a position as an attending physician. I’m joking.
But that’s Cammy Vaughan in February 2024. He said he feels he has grown a lot since the summer 2021 attack when he was raped and nearly suffocated.
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“I woke up because I felt what was going on, and I couldn’t really breathe because he was pressing the pillow against my face, so I freaked out a little bit,” Vaughan said during the seizure. He recalled and spoke.
“I turned my head to the side so I could breathe and I felt his hand on me. I could feel him inside me. So once I understood… if you do” [that] I was about to be raped and I immediately pushed him off and rolled onto the floor and pulled up my pants. ”
“While I was doing that, he jumped up, pulled up his pants, and started playing video games as if he hadn’t just raped me. Then I left the room and told my friends. did.”
Cammy Vaughan (left) is pictured with her brother Blake, father, and sister Tiyonah. (Cammy Vaughan)
She gives a lot of credit to her friend Lindsay Lane, her parents, and her grandmother for getting her through her darkest times.
Ms Vaughan said that between the sentencing debacle and 2024, she had attempted suicide twice, had recurring debilitating nightmares and was taking medication she no longer wanted to take.
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“It was really difficult at first. I had no brain power at all,” she said.
Vaughn moved from Quincy, which she said was a big move that essentially gave her a new start, and lives with her grandmother and supportive boyfriend, Matthew Sharp. “It completely changed my life, very different” for the better. “
Cammy Vaughan (left) and her best friend Lindsay Lane are pictured here. Vaughn credits Lindsay Lane with getting him through this ordeal. (Cammy Vaughan)
Cammy Vaughan, now 18, is pictured with her boyfriend Matthew Sharp. (Cammy Vaughan)
Vaughn’s advice to other survivors
At just 18 years old, Mr. Vaughn was thrust into the spotlight, and his profile only increased after a judge overturned Mr. Clinton’s conviction.
In addition to a few people associated with Mr. Clinton, she said she has received countless letters and messages of support from strangers from across the country and as far away as Ireland.
“I feel like I had as much support as I did and it all helped,” Vaughn said. “It was amazing. I literally had so much support from all over the world.”
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But even at this young age, she has accepted positions and positions she never asked for and is using to empower other victims and survivors.
“My message to them is don’t be afraid to stand up for yourself,” she said. “I know that confronting your attacker is scary in the moment, but by reporting it and taking it to court, you have more power over your attacker than by remaining silent and not saying anything. can do.”
“They (attackers) think they can get away with it. That’s why they do it. So prove you’re better than them.”
Illinois Courts Commission Report: “It’s Not an Isolated Case”
The Illinois Courts Commission’s report influenced Adrian. The commission had the power to discipline, censure or suspend him without pay, but after a three-day hearing it found “sufficient grounds” to immediately remove him from the bench in western Illinois’ Adams County. He said there is.
The report said Adrian’s conviction reversal was “not an isolated incident, but rather involved several acts that violated the Code. His misconduct spanned almost two years.”
After the verdict, Adrian retaliated against the prosecutor – who had liked a social media post criticizing him – by removing him from the courtroom, and then in November 2023, according to the report. He is said to have lied under oath at a board meeting in September.
Read the full report
“Thereafter, in order to hide his violation of the law, the defendant (Adrian) fabricated a false justification for revoking the finding of guilt, submitted it in writing to the commission, and later testified under oath in two courts. ,” the report states.
“Such intentional, dishonest and widespread misconduct demonstrates the defendant’s complete disregard for truth, justice, and the justice system.”
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The former judge later acknowledged retaliating against prosecutors, but “did not admit he evaded the law” in overturning Clinton’s conviction. Instead, he said he “minimized” his actions and believes his own ruling in the case was “misinterpreted.”
Despite this, Clinton cannot be tried again on the same charges under the Fifth Amendment, and her motion to expunge her record was denied in February 2023.
Adrian does not have the opportunity to appeal the commission’s decision, but he is licensed to continue practicing law separately from his judgeship.
Fox News Digital’s Ashley Papa and Bonny Chu contributed to this report.
