Spanish minister accuses judges of ‘machismo,’ faces uproar

By CIARÁN GILES and JOSEPH WILSON
Associated Press

MADRID (AP) — Spain’s magistrate associations are calling for the country’s equality minister to resign after she accused judges of “machismo” for reducing prison sentences under a new sexual aggression law. The law made sexual consent, or a lack of it, a key determinant in assault cases. It also revised the range of potential minimum and maximum prison terms, inadvertently making it possible for some convicted individuals to have their sentences reduced on appeal. Revelations this week of the reduced sentences in at least 15 cases outraged Equality Minister Irene Montero and supporters of the law. They said Spain’s judges needed more training to overcome ingrained gender biases.