An oversight board of Montana attorneys has recommended that Attorney General Austin Knudsen be suspended from practicing law for 90 days. The decision came after Knudsen was charged with 41 counts of professional misconduct.
The recommendation now goes to the Montana Supreme Court, which gets the final say.
A five-member panel held a disciplinary hearing earlier this month where a special counsel laid out the charges against Knudsen. Those included undermining the integrity of the Montana Supreme Court and ignoring a court order.
Knudsen says he was zealously defending his client, the state Legislature, in a case where he believed the state’s High Court had overreached its constitutional powers.
The Commission on Practice’s disciplinary board wrote in an unanimous decision that Knudsen violated his oath as an attorney and the rules of professional conduct. The members’ recommendation also calls on Knudsen to pay all fees associated with the disciplinary proceedings.
Knudsen is currently running for re-election to be the state’s top attorney.
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Attorney General Austin Knudsen is appealing the recommended suspension of his law license. Meanwhile, a majority of state Supreme Court justices – who are charged with ruling on that recommendation – have recused themselves from the case. -
Attorney General Austin Knudsen’s disciplinary hearing for charges of professional misconduct concluded Thursday. A special counsel says Knudsen undermined the integrity of the judiciary through defiant language and rejection of a court order. -
Montana’s attorney general appeared before an oversight commission on Wednesday to face charges of professional misconduct. Attorney General Austin Knudsen was asked about several statements he or attorneys in his office made about the Montana Supreme Court in 2021. -
The Legislature's judicial oversight committee formed earlier this year following a series of Montana Supreme Court decisions some Republican lawmakers viewed as overreach. -
Republicans on a special legislative committee will require people who testify to sign an oath to tell 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.
