Montana lawmakers can now decide if their communication with lobbyists and outside groups is available to the public. That’s due to a court order from a Lewis and Clark County judge.
Montana district judge Christopher Abbott this summer ruled that lawmakers' communications with private individuals were privileged, and therefore not subject to the public’s right to know.
That information was previously kept in public record as part of “junque files”. Those are folders documenting communications between lawmakers and other parties while drafting bills.
Legislator’s staff attorneys say individual lawmakers can sign waivers giving up their privilege and make those communications public, but Abbott’s ruling means they’re not obligated to.
Abbott ordered that copies of bill drafts and lawmakers’ communications with other government officials remain public.
The order came in an ongoing lawsuit over the 2023 Legislature’s redrawing of maps for seats on the Public Service Commission.
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A state senator pleaded not guilty Thursday to an official misconduct charge over a no-bid contract he awarded to a longtime colleague in 2024. The case is now headed for a jury trial. -
One former, and two current state senators are challenging a new property tax policy in court. Around 80% of residential property owners saw tax relief last year under the policy. The lawsuit amplifies a fracture between Republican lawmakers. -
A law that went into effect this school year requires volunteers at public schools to have their fingerprints taken. Schools generally support the policy, even as some bear a big new expense — $20,000 per month, in the case of Missoula schools. -
State prosecutors say Sen. Jason Ellsworth abused his power when he awarded a no-bid state contract to a longtime friend and colleague. -
A Helena judge has blocked a program that allowed parents of students with disabilities to spend state funds on private education expenses. The judge found the program was being funded illegally, because lawmakers hadn’t followed proper procedure.
