A movement to get a Douglas County judge off the bench picked up strength and momentum Tuesday night as volunteers stepped forward to begin the job.

More than 50 people attended a meeting at the Lawrence Public Library, 707 Vt., to discuss a campaign to keep Judge Paula Martin from retaining her seat on the bench because of her handling of a case involving the rape of a 13-year-old girl.

“I’m extremely pleased and overwhelmed,” the mother of the Lawrence girl said.

By the end of the hour-long meeting, several people had volunteered to distribute fliers, place yard signs, send e-mails and handle various jobs in the campaign. Moreover, nearly $300 was contributed by those attending the meeting to pay for campaign expenses.

Martin is under fire because the 13-year-old’s mother and others are angry at sentences Martin handed out to three men convicted in the assault case.

Martin departed from state sentencing guidelines, which carry a presumed penalty of at least 13 years in prison for statutory rape in which the victim is too young to consent.

Martin found there were “substantial and compelling” reasons to give lighter sentences, including finding that the girl, who was intoxicated at the time, was an “active participant” in the rape and wasn’t harmed as much as some rape victims.

Two 18-year-old men convicted of rape were placed on five years’ probation, 60 days in jail and community service. A third man entered a plea to aggravated indecent liberties with a child and received a similar sentence from Martin. A fourth person was sentenced in juvenile court by a different judge.

“Everyone should be outraged at this,” said Sofiana Olivera, who was helping to organize the campaign.

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Karin Drees, who also is helping the campaign, agreed.

“A lot of people are looking for justice and are not happy with the way things are,” Drees said. “We have a short time, but a lot can be done in a short time.”

Douglas County has appointed judges who come up for retention on the general election ballot every four years. A simple majority vote on Nov. 2 not to retain Martin would result in her removal.

The rape victim’s mother had already started forming a group called Watchdogs to Remove Judge Martin before Tuesday’s meeting.

“I’ve received a lot of criticism in different areas, so it’s been really hard for me to put up with this by myself,” the mother said. “I couldn’t do this by myself.”

The Journal-World generally does not publish the names of rape victims or the names of relatives that could make the victim identifiable.

Prior to the meeting, Martin issued a statement noting that each of the sentences involved statutory rape and not forcible rape, meaning it involved sexual intercourse between a 13-year-old and a defendant who was at least 18 years old.

Martin also cited the Code of Judicial Conduct, which prohibits her from discussing a pending case outside of court. She said that the cases were pending on appeals.

“It would be unethical for me to say anything other than, as in all of my cases, I listen objectively and carefully to all of the evidence, some of which was inconsistent and contradictory, and I based my decision on the evidence that I found to be credible,” Martin wrote. “It was a hard decision and one that was not made lightly.”