BILLINGS, Mont. — A Montana judge who was censured by the state’s high court for his comments about a 14-year-old rape victim has been chosen for a lifetime achievement award by his local bar association.
Yellowstone Area Bar Association President Jessica Fehr said Thursday that former state District Judge G. Todd Baugh of Billings was chosen for the award by the group’s board of directors.
Baugh, 73, sparked widespread outrage in 2013 over comments suggesting that a 14-year-old girl shared some responsibility for her rape by a teacher. Baugh sentenced former teacher Stacey Rambold to just one month in prison in the case.
After prosecutors appealed, Rambold was re-sentenced in September and is serving 10 years in Montana State Prison. Rambold is appealing the sentence. The victim had killed herself before the case went to trial.
Baugh, who served almost 30 years as a state judge, stepped down last year after being censured by the Montana Supreme Court for his comments and suspended from the bench for 31 days.