Montana Supreme Court Stops Judge From Undoing 30 Day Rape Sentence

BILLINGS, Mont. (AP) — The Montana Supreme Court has blocked a judge from resentencing a former teacher who got just 30 days in prison for raping a 14-year-old student.

The sentence by Judge G. Todd Baugh for 54-year-old Stacy Rambold was widely criticized after the judge said the victim was "older than her chronological age."

Baugh appeared in his courtroom Friday shortly after the hearing was scheduled to begin. He told a group of reporters and observers that he decided he could not resentence Rambold even before the Supreme Court intervened

Justices said Baugh lacks authority to reconsider the sentence. An appeal of the case is already pending.

The girl committed suicide in 2010 while Rambold's trial was pending.