Adams County Judge Robert Adrian was stripped of his judicial duties Friday by the Illinois State Courts Commission for alleged misconduct, the Associated Press reported.

Following an investigation by the Judicial Review Board, Adrian was found to have evaded legal process and acted inappropriately, and was removed from his position. according to To AP.

Adrian presided over the case in October 2021 in which then-18-year-old Drew Clinton was found guilty of sexually assaulting a 16-year-old girl during a graduation party in May 2021, according to the Associated Press. did. In a controversial turn of events in January 2022, Adrian overturned Clinton's conviction, the paper said.

Mr. Adrian reportedly defended his decision by claiming that the 148 days Mr. Clinton spent in prison were enough, despite the mandatory four-year prison sentence for such crimes. It is said that it has become. The Associated Press pointed out that this decision violated the law, as Adrian himself acknowledged during sentencing.

Illinois judge who overturned rape conviction was removed from court after panel found he had evaded law. https://t.co/VKAsMJseLx

— Associated Press (@AP) February 24, 2024

According to the Associated Press, many critics of the development accused Adrian of ignoring mandatory sentencing guidelines and imposing a personal sense of justice on the law. The state Judicial Review Commission's subsequent complaint highlighted Adrian's admission that he refused to jail Clinton even though the law required a four-year prison sentence, the paper said. Reported. (Related: Judge previously removed Fani Willis from 2020 election lawsuit citing political bias)

Adrian's reversal of sentence had a huge impact on the victim, Cameron Vaughan. She expressed her regret and was determined to see Adrian removed from the position. “I'm so glad the committee saw through all the mistakes and all the lies he's been telling all along. I'm incredibly happy now,” Vaughn said. Said Chicago Tribune. “He can't hurt other people. He can't ruin other people's lives.”

According to the Chicago Tribune, Adrian blamed his ouster on Illinois' biased judicial system against conservative Republicans. He also reiterated his previous claim that he was singled out because of his identity as a “Christian conservative.”

“I'm just going to retire and enjoy my retirement,” Adrian said after his firing, according to the Chicago Tribune.