The Montana judge who was heavily scrutinized for his sentencing an ex-teacher to one month in prison after she raped a student who subsequently killed herself announced that he will retire at the end of 2014.
Montana District Judge G. Todd Baugh won't file for re-election when his judicial term runs out at the end of the year, Reuters reported.
District Court Administrator in Billings Becky Bird didn't offer the news agency Baugh's reason for leaving the courtroom for good.
The 72-year-old judge's assistant declined to comment.
The public erupted in anger after Baugh sentenced 54-year-old high school teacher Stacey Rambold to just 30 days in prison for raping Cherice Moralez in 2007. Moralez committed suicide after the events, Reuters reported.
Baugh said during the sentencing portion of the hearing that Moralez appeared to be mature, and was "probably as much in control of the situation," as the ex-Billings high school teacher, causing further protest from the public, particularly from women's groups pushing for Baugh's removal from the stand.
The judge later confessed to violating judicial codes by implying that the teenage girl was partially at fault for the sexual assault, but maintained he didn't have any particular bias toward the teacher.