A Montana judge who suggested a rape victim played a role in her own attack before giving a rapist a lenient sentence was publically reprimanded on Tuesday, the Associated Press reported.
District Judge G. Todd Baugh did not say a word as the Montana Supreme Court in Helena reprimanded him for giving a teacher a 30-day sentence for raping his 14-year-old student in 2007. Baugh hinted the victim, who committed suicide before the trial, appeared older than her age.
"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," Chief Justice Mike McGrath said during the censure.
In extremely rare cases, high courts hold censures to publicly declare when a judge engaged in unethical behavior. The state Supreme Court suspended Baugh for 31 days beginning in December.
Baugh, from Billings, caused a public outcry following his August 2013 sentencing of Stacey Dean Rambold for the rape of Cherice Moralez. Prosecutors asked for a 20 year sentence, but Baugh chose the 31 days based on his opinion that Moralez was "probably as much in control of the situation" as Rambold and that she "appeared older than her chronological age."
The judge later apologized for his statements, but the damage was already done and the state's Judicial Standards Commission launched an investigation. The commission recommended Baugh receive an official reprimand, the AP reported. But the Supreme Court added on the 31-day suspension.
Baugh previously said he plans on retiring when his term expires at the end of December.
In the meantime, Rambold finished his sentence and was supposed to remain on probation until 2028. But the Supreme Court ordered the case be sent to another judge for resentencing.
District Judge Randal Spaulding is slated to resentence Rambold on Sept. 26.
