US EditionMontana Supreme Court Rules in Favor of Proposed Nonpartisan Judicial Initiative
The court ruled the Attorney General lacked legal grounds to change the ballot language, allowing sponsors to start signature collection for the nonpartisan judicial amendment.
- On Thursday, the Montana Supreme Court unanimously ruled that Montana Attorney General Austin Knudsen lacked authority to rewrite Constitutional Initiative 131's ballot language, overturning his changes for a second time.
- Montana Attorney General Austin Knudsen's office substituted its own ballot statement, claiming it rewrote the language to `improve` and `explain` it, but the court found no written legal basis for the change.
- Montanans for Fair and Impartial Judges sponsors CI-131, which would add three words requiring Supreme Court justices and district court judges be elected in nonpartisan elections and needs at least 60,241 signatures.
- The court ordered Montana Secretary of State Christi Jacobsen to restore petitioners' language and certify CI-131 for signature collection, enabling Montanans For Fair and Impartial Judges to begin a 2026 ballot push.
- Montana's judicial elections have been nonpartisan since 1936, and if approved, Constitutional Initiative 132 would prevent the Montana Legislature from making them partisan without another amendment.
13 Articles
13 Articles
Associated Press News
Attorney general’s edits to ballot initiative went too far, Montana Supreme Court rules
Montana’s attorney general went too far in revising the language for a proposed ballot initiative calling for nonpartisan court races, the state’s high court ruled Thursday.
Montana Supreme Court rules in favor of proposed nonpartisan judicial initiative
HELENA The Montana Supreme Court has ruled in favor of a group sponsoring a proposed ballot measure that would require the states judicial elections to remain nonpartisan. It comes less than a month after they sided with the backers of a similar initiative.Montanans for Fair and Impartial Judges is sponsoring Constitutional Initiative 131, which would add three words to the Montana Constitution, to say state Supreme Court justices and district c…
AG wrongfully tried to rewrite ballot initiative, Supreme Court says
Montana Supreme Court justices listen to oral arguments on May 15, 2024. (Photo by Blair Miller, Daily Montanan)A unanimous Montana Supreme Court has found that Montana Attorney General Austin Knudsen had no basis for rewriting a constitutional initiative ballot statement that would make all district and Supreme Court judges nonpartisan. It ordered the Montana Secretary of State, Christi Jacobsen, to restore Montanans For Fair and Impartial Judg…
ABC FOX Montana
Montana Supreme Court says Attorney General wrongfully tried to rewrite ballot description
A unanimous Montana Supreme Court has found that Montana Attorney General Austin Knudsen had no basis for rewriting a constitutional initiative ballot statement that would make all district and Supreme Court judges nonpartisan. It ordered the Montana Secretary of State,…
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