The Montana Supreme Court Chief Justice Mike McGrath has signaled to lower courts that it’s time to loosen the restrictions around courtrooms that went into place early in the COVID-19 pandemic last year. He has directed the lower courts to scale back requirements on face masks and remote hearings. Right to Repair legislation would requi...
American Legion To Spread On Suicide Awareness Across Montana
The Montana Supreme Court has upheld a district court’s ruling that the state Commissioner of Political Practices does not have the power to subpoena for records in its investigatory work. The order stems from July 2018 when the Montana Democratic Party filed a complaint with the commissioner claiming the Montana Republican Party failed ...
Special Committee To Investigate Judicial Emails Independently From Supreme Court
Governor Greg Gianforte and the Legislature are locked in a legal battle over a new law giving the governor sweeping powers to appoint judges. James Bradley from the University of Montana Legislative News Service reports Gianforte signed Senate Bill 140 in March and a bipartisan group for former state legislators challenged it. The Supreme Cou...
Montana Supreme Court Justices Issued Subpoenas From Legislature
Legislative leadership issued a new round of subpoenas for all seven Montana Supreme Court justices and the court administrator Thursday in an ongoing inquiry into the GOP’s claims of misconduct through the court’s email system investigating the judiciary for polling judges on pending legislation regarding the courts. Democrats hav...
Montana Fish Wildlife and Parks Set To Reopen Pictograph Caves
The Montana Supreme Court administrator has made a second bid to quash a legislative subpoena issued to the state Department of Administration for her emails sought by GOP lawmakers. The state Supreme Court has already blocked their release but the Legislature through the state’s Attorney General’s Office said it won’t comply...
Montana Supreme Court May Challenge New Voting Law
Six members of the Montana Supreme Court will consider a legal challenge to a new Montana law. It would eliminate the state’s judicial nomination commission and allow the governor to appoint judges to fill vacancies between elections and it asks for an injunction to block the law from taking effect and to declare it unconstitutional. Attorney...