Several Montana industry groups and chambers of commerce are suing the state over a ballot initiative aimed at restricting dark money.
The lawsuit asks the Montana Supreme Court to block the initiative from advancing, arguing it's unconstitutionally vague. The suit also says the proposal would violate the right to free speech if it passes.
The initiative, called the Montana Plan, would prohibit entities that do business in Montana from contributing to candidates, political parties or ballot issues. Backers say it’s a loophole around the U.S. Supreme Court’s Citizens United decision, which protects corporate political donations as free speech.
In a statement, the proposal’s backers say the lawsuit is an attempt to "silence a growing, citizen-led movement and protect the influence of large corporate interests."
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Democrats pull off an upset in Montana’s U.S. House race. The Senate race goes as expected with an easy Republican victory. The Senate loss is seen as a missed opportunity for Montana Democrats as their party sweeps several congressional seats across the country. The Supreme court race is a runaway for Amy Eddy. And Montanans say yes to all three ballot initiatives, with one already facing a court challenge. -
Montanans overwhelmingly supported a ballot measure that aims to make political spending more transparent. The effort is already facing a legal challenge. -
Democrat Sam Forstag wins Montana's western District U.S. House seat. -
Two ballot measures to amend the Montana Constitution sailed to victory Tuesday. One of the two initiatives aimed to enshrine nonpartisan elections in Montana’s Constitution. The other’s intent was to, as proponents put it, stop state lawmakers from putting more restrictions in place for ballot measures.
