Montana GOP lawmakers are prioritizing bills that would give them more oversight of the judicial branch. More than half a dozen advanced on Friday.
Majorities in both the state House of Representatives and Senate voted to send several bills forward that they say will inject transparency and accountability into the judiciary.
Democrats and court advocates say the proposals overreach the separation of powers.
Most of the bills passed key votes along party lines. That includes one that would require judges to find substitutes for cases that present conflicts of interest – codifying what’s already in practice. Another would rehome the Judicial Standards Commission, which handles complaints against judges, under the state Department of Justice. Lawmakers also advanced a proposal to allow nonpartisan judicial candidates to seek political endorsements.
Two bills failed to advance on tie votes with some Republicans joining Democrats against them. The proposals would have defined terms related to judicial conduct and regulated how state Supreme Court justices review constitutional cases. The House voted to reconsider the latter at another time.
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A fourth attempt to make judicial elections partisan has failed in the Montana Legislature. GOP lawmakers and Gov. Greg Gianforte put partisan judicial elections at the top of their priority list in an effort to further regulate the third branch. -
Attorney General Austin Knudsen asked the Montana Supreme Court Friday to dismiss any punishment for violating rules of conduct. The charges stem from strong language the attorney general used to rebuke the high court in a 2021 case. -
Montana’s governor signed a bill Tuesday dictating how judges may determine whether to block laws that are challenged in court.
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The Montana Department of Justice opened an investigation into a Hamilton senator Wednesday. The Division of Criminal Investigation will gather facts to determine whether Republican Sen. Jason Ellsworth is guilty of criminal misconduct. -
Montana’s new chief justice of the state Supreme Court gave lawmakers a “state of the judiciary” address Monday. The Republican-backed justice cautioned GOP lawmakers against impeding the courts. -
A landmark Montana Supreme Court decision last year struck down laws passed by Republicans that would have changed Montana's bedrock environmental policy. Now, GOP lawmakers have introduced a suite of bills to undo the court's ruling. -
Sen. Jason Ellsworth of Hamilton attempted to give an associate a $170,000 contract without going through a formal bidding process. That’s prompted the new Senate President to open an investigation into Ellsworth’s conduct. -
A state senator in Dec. unilaterally gave a $170,000 public contract to a longtime colleague. -
Montana lawmakers heard more than a dozen bills last week aimed at regulating the state’s courts and judges. They included one of the top priorities for Republicans: to make judicial elections partisan.
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On day two of the legislative session, Republican lawmakers called for an apology from the State Bar president for comments made by an attorney who spoke at a legal training put on by the organization. Republicans are prioritizing bills to regulate the judiciary amid ongoing tension between the branches of government.
