Legislature vs. Courts

The Capitol Talk team remembers a dear colleague. Rep. Rosendale keeps hanging out with some bad guys. The Legislature buckles down on budget work. And Sen. Steve Daines may back an unknown Bozeman businessman to challenge Jon Tester for his Senate seat.

The Governor celebrates a major win midway through the legislative session. Democrats hope to fend off attempts to weaken the judiciary. And speculation grows over who will challenge Jon Tester for his Senate seat.

Ahead of a deadline for general policy bills to advance, Montana lawmakers have voted down four different proposals that would have made judicial elections partisan. But efforts to alter how judges reach the bench aren’t over.

Montana lawmakers are continuing to urge change to how the state’s judiciary operates. One bill to require judicial elections to become partisan has advanced.

A bill to restrict judges’ power to block policies, laws or projects during litigation has passed both chambers of the state Legislature and is headed for the governor’s desk.

Montana Republicans calling for more legislative oversight of the state’s courts and judges are starting to see those demands turn into policy.

Republican lawmakers have adopted an official report accusing the Montana judicial branch of misconduct. The state’s chief supreme court justice has demanded a retraction of the report and called it “libelous.”

A special committee of Montana lawmakers released a draft report Thursday detailing concerns that members of the judicial branch deleted public records and fell short of ethics rules.

The case began as a dispute over power between Republican lawmakers and the state supreme court. Lawmakers accused the justices of misconduct and bias, and subpoenaed judicial records.

Montana Gov. Greg Gianforte is requesting the U.S. Supreme Court to intervene in a dispute between Republican lawmakers and Montana’s highest court.