Montana ex-teacher re-sentenced in rape case

The Montana Supreme Court overturned a case that gave Stacey Dean Rambold, a former teacher convicted of raping a 14-year-old student at Billings Senior High, just one month in prison. Rambold had previously served 30 days in jail in September.

Yellowstone County Attorney Scott Twito told The Associated Press that "according to state sentencing laws, the decision means Rambold must serve a minimum of two years in prison."

Billings District Judge G. Todd Baugh, who ordered the original ruling, had previously come under scrutiny for suggesting the victim was in part responsible for her rape and was "older than her chronological age." After his remarks, the Judicial Standards Commission filed a disciplinary complaint against Baugh, and the Montana Supreme Court said the complaint will be handled separately from Rambold's new sentence. If the court finds the complaint valid, Baugh could be removed from the bench for "alleged bias."

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up

[UPDATE: On June 4, 2014, Judge G. Todd Baugh was "suspended without pay for one of his last seven months on the bench," reports the Los Angeles Times.]