Montana’s top court suspends judge who blamed 14-year-old girl for being raped

[DonViejo]

By Reuters

By Laura Zuckerman

(Reuters) – The Montana Supreme Court on Tuesday censured a judge and suspended him for 31 days for improperly suggesting a 14-year-old girl was culpable in her rape and unlawfully sentencing the former teacher convicted of the crime to just a month in jail.

State District Judge G. Todd Baugh was silent after Montana’s chief justice read aloud a censure statement at a brief hearing Tuesday in Helena. Women’s rights activists have been seeking Baugh’s ouster for almost a year.

In court documents, Baugh admitted responsibility for imposing a lenient sentence on Stacey Rambold for the 2007 sexual assault of Cherice Moralez, but said his own punishment by the Supreme Court was excessive. Baugh sentenced Rambold to 15 years in prison with all but 31 days suspended, and credit for one day served, during the hearing in August 2013.

During the proceedings he remarked that the teenage victim, who committed suicide before the case could be prosecuted, had been “as much in control of the situation” as the teacher who was 47 when he raped her.

Montana justices said Baugh’s actions undermined public confidence in the judiciary and that state law requires a sentence of at least four years for a defendant guilty of raping a victim under the age of 16.

more
http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2014/07/23/montanas-top-court-suspends-judge-who-blamed-14-year-old-girl-for-being-raped/

[newfie11]

1. Good riddance nt

[enough]

2. One month suspension, and he will retire at the end of the year. His pension is safe, no doubt. (nt

[moriah]

26. If I had to pay the man to get him out of office, I would.

Go ahead and retire him early with pension, if that's what it takes to get a dinosaur off the fucking bench.

[Squinch]

3. They sat on this for a year, while he continued to hear cases, and now suspend him for 31 days?

After which he is back on the bench?

He comes back after his 31 day suspension, and hears MORE cases?

The article says he plans to retire at the end of the year, so no doubt this slap on the wrist is a careful plan to keep his pension intact.

This is not an appropriate way to deal with this man. He should be out and he should be out now and all his cases should be reviewed.

This is disgusting.

[daleanime]

15. Amen....

[redqueen]

23. Let's us know where we stand doesn't it? nt

[freshwest]

35. +1

[mark67]

4. Small consolation...

but his actions did garner national attention and he'll now leave the bench mostly in disgrace and a laughing stock.

[sorefeet]

5. December he retires

and that is the same month he takes his punishment. This censure is just as chicken shit as what he did. He loses one month pay and gets to retire with full pension. Now that's punishment??? The little girl is dead. Quite the insult to her parents.

[freshwest]

36. +1,000

[tomm2thumbs]

6. He appears to be a little 'confused'...

[rateyes]

7. He should have been disbarred.

[Calista241]

17. Being an idiot does not qualify for disbarment.

Unfortunately.

[gussmith]

18. Justice Denied

Abuse of authority, abuse of position; there are surely grounds to charge this judge.

[Calista241]

20. What this judge did, while reprehensible, was within the scope of the law.

Following the law cannot be construed as abuse of any kind. The judges comments were idiotic, but don't amount to criminal misconduct.

Never thought I'd like to see mandatory minimum sentences, but cases like this don't make them look like all that bad an idea.

[intheflow]

34. No, it wasn't within the scope of the law.

The article says, "Montana justices said Baugh’s actions undermined public confidence in the judiciary and that state law requires a sentence of at least four years for a defendant guilty of raping a victim under the age of 16."

He sentenced the man to 15 years but suspended all but a month of the sentence. Ergo, his decision was not within the scope of the law. Hence his suspension.

[Paladin]

8. He got off easy, without question. (nt)

[Heidi]

9. Barely a slap on the wrist.

And some folks deny the existence of rape culture.

[riqster]

10. The victim is dead. The judge and his pal the rapist live on to abuse more women.

Justice? What justice?

[onecaliberal]

11. What rape culture?

[Squinch]

24. ^^^^^that

[smirkymonkey]

30. +100

[d_b]

12. that'll learn him!

[Squinch]

25. This is funny? How so? Do tell.

[d_b]

29. a 31 day suspension is a joke

that better?

[TNNurse]

13. He should be disbarred, fired and otherwise

Publicly scorned.

[Louisiana1976]

28. +1 million

[smirkymonkey]

31. He should be put out to pasture for good.

He doesn't deserve to serve in a court of law. Disgusting!

[magical thyme]

14. 31 days suspension and a scolding for violating the law he is supposed to uphold

not to mention the blatantly immoral stance against a child victim.

Sorry. Not good enough.

[riderinthestorm]

16. My heart hurts. This isn't justice. Its cronyism. nt

[abelenkpe]

19. So he was suspended for 31 days?

Let's see, rapist gets one month of jail, victim blaming judge gets 31 day suspension, 14 year old victim dead. O yeah, that sounds like justice.

[Roy Serohz]

21. Boot him for life!

[progressoid]

22. 31 days.

[awoke_in_2003]

27. When he gets back...

the DA's office should start papering him

[smirkymonkey]

32. An absolute travesty of justice.

This judge needs to be disbarred for good.

[Uncle Joe]

33. Kicked and recommended.

Thanks for the thread, DonViejo.