Montana judge officially reprimanded for disgusting comments about teen rape victim

Montana judge officially reprimanded for disgusting comments about teen rape victim

by Jen HaydenFollow

attribution: screenshot from video

The Montana Supreme Court took the unusual step of officially reprimanding District Judge G. Todd Baugh for his outrageous comments regarding a 14-year old rape victim and the equally outrageous 30-day sentence he handed down to the rapist:

Outrage is growing against a Billings, Montana, judge who handed down a 30-day sentence to a rapist teacher and said the victim, who had killed herself, "was as much in control of the situation" as the teacher—35 years her senior at the time—because she was “older than her chronological age.” Prosecutors had sought a 20-year sentence in the case, with 10 years suspended. District Judge G. Todd Baugh imposed a 15-year sentence and suspended all but 31 days of it, with one day credited for time already served. The judge noted that the crime "did not warrant a lengthy sentence."

This week, the Montana Supreme Court weighed in:

“We have determined that, through your inappropriate comments, you have eroded public confidence in the judiciary and created an appearance of impropriety in violation of the Montana Code of Judicial Conduct,” McGrath said. The Supreme Court also suspended him for 31 days, effective in December.

The Montana Supreme Court eventually overturned Stacy Rambold's sentence. He is set to appear for new sentencing on September 26, 2014. Judge Baugh has indicated he plans to retire when his term expires in December.