Republicans on a special legislative committee adopted two unusual rules Tuesday. They will require people who testify to sign an oath to tell the truth.
A sign-in sheet for those wanting to testify before the committee will now include an oath stating they’ll tell “nothing but the truth.” The committee will also start ordering elected officials to appear before it with subpoenas. Such rules aren’t used by any other legislative committee.
Senate President Jason Ellsworth from Hamilton chairs the select committee on judicial oversight. He says a few reluctant witnesses have waylaid the group’s work.
“It is not our standard practice. But neither is a special select committee. So we assembled this committee to get to facts,” Ellsworth said.
Ellsworth created it amid Republican allegations that the courts are biased against conservative legislation. Democratic lawmakers appointed to the committee refuse to go to the meetings, calling it an undue “attack on the judiciary.” Democrats didn’t vote on its new rules.
A few Republicans pushed back against requiring the oath. They said not everyone agrees on what’s true. Ellsworth said he doesn’t intend to entrap people who believe what they’re saying.
Republican Sen. Wendy McKamey of Great Falls.
“How do we know that they’re telling the truth? And second question, what are the ramifications of if we discover they haven’t told the truth? What then?” McKamey said.
Ellsworth says the county could prosecute those witnesses for perjury. The committee’s staff attorney called it unchartered territory.
Three Republicans voted against the oath proposal
No Republican member opposed using subpoenas to compel elected officials to appear before them. They say they have little time to gather information before the next Legislature convenes in January.
-
The Legislature's judicial oversight committee formed earlier this year following a series of Montana Supreme Court decisions some Republican lawmakers viewed as overreach. -
Montana Republicans met in Billings over the weekend to update their party’s platform. Montana Public Radio’s Shaylee Ragar was at the event and joined host Austin Amestoy to talk about the Republicans' debate on election law, immigration, abortion and party loyalty. -
A panel of Republican lawmakers met on Monday to discuss their concerns over what they’ve called “troubling judicial rulings.” Democratic legislators declined to participate. -
A campaign for a constitutional abortion rights amendment in Montana may soon begin collecting signatures to put the measure before voters this fall. But that process has been pushed back by Republican officials challenging the initiative’s content and by legal rulings. -
Republican lawmakers have ordered the Secretary of State to send a proposed ballot initiative to a legislative committee for review before signature-gathering begins. The request escalates tensions between the lawmakers and the state Supreme Court, which said this week such a review wasn’t required.
