District Court judge Mike McMahon has dismissed a lawsuit by former Democratic Representatives Tom Winter and Barbara Bessette challenging Montana’s new judicial appointment process. The case was the second attempt at taking down Senate Bill 140 passed by the GOP-dominated Legislature and signed by Republican Governor Greg Gianforte to a...
Supreme Court Case On Legislature Subpoena Power Seeking Final Ruling
Lewis and Clark County District Court Judge Mike McMahon has denied the state Legislature’s bid to dismiss a case brought by Supreme Court Justice Jim Rice, following a similar ruling by the high court in June challenging a subpoena arguing the judicial records are privileged as containing private information. McMahon denied the Legislat...
Open-Carry Campus Law Pushed Back A Week By District Court Judge
A new law allowing firearms to be carried on public university campuses in Montana was scheduled to go into effect today but Lewis and Clark County District Court Judge Mike McMahon has temporarily blocked it and has set a hearing for June 7th in the case. The Montana University Board of Regents which oversees Montana’s university system filed...
Judge McMahon Blocks Subpoena For Court Investigation
District Court Judge Mike McMahon has temporarily blocked a legislative subpoena for Supreme Court Justice Jim Rice’s communications writing in an order the Legislature appears to have exceeded its investigative authority. In recent months, legislative Republicans have opened an investigation into the judicial branch claiming misuse of s...
Montana Justice Rice Files Challenge Against Legislative Lawsuit
Montana Supreme Court Justice Jim Rice was the only justice to file a court challenge against a legislative subpoena seeking his communications regarding any polling conducted on pending legislation. Monday District Court Judge Mike McMahon grilled a state attorney representing the Legislature on Republican lawmakers’ chosen methods of p...