U.S. District Court Judge Dana Christensen ruled Katie Garding did not receive effective assistance of counsel during her trial in 2011 in Missoula County District Court.
Updating results
Yellowstone County District Judge Michael Moses will be retiring July 1 after serving as district judge for the 13th Judicial District for nine years.
Another bill sought to give the Attorney General power to replace a Supreme Court justice in a case involving the Legislature.
In the interest of promoting efficiency in government, Sen. Barry Usher (R) has introduced legislation to reduce the number of justices on the Montana Supreme Court from seven to five.
Lawyers and judges understand and respect the rule of law. This simple principle informed the writing and adoption of the federal Constitution and was carried through into states’ constitutions.
A bill to ban physician aid in dying went down in the Senate after passing an initial vote the day prior.
"Shouldn't we be saving time and money?" Republican Sen. Barry Usher said Wednesday.
The bill is Montana Democrats' most ambitious in a package of legislation aimed at ensuring and improving protections for reproductive rights and access to reproductive health care.
Republican lawmakers this week continued to advance their vision for what they say would be a fairer — and yet more partisan — judiciary.
A representative from the State Bar Association said the bill would violate the state Constitution.
Lawyers and judges understand and respect the rule of law. This simple principle informed the writing and adoption of the federal Constitution and was carried through into states’ constitutions.
The reforms come with some subtext as the state still faces litigation against bills the 2021 Legislature passed, which has featured some procedural maneuvers Republicans have rebutted as unfair.
Lawyers and judges understand and respect the rule of law. This simple principle informed the writing and adoption of the federal Constitution and was carried through into states’ constitutions.
Efforts are moving forward to add an outdoor memorial to the northeast side of the Capitol Complex grounds to honor Montana’s organ donors.
"That is not the decorum the Legislature uses," Democratic Sen. Diane Sands said.
A legislative committee that has looked into claims of bias and overreach in the judiciary is scheduled to meet in an online forum for its last hearing at 10 a.m. Thursday.
The report urges lawmakers to, among other things, define its subpoena powers, a point of contention last year over which the Montana Supreme Court got the final say.
The lawsuit challenges the constitutionality of a 2005 Montana law that restricted abortion providers to physicians and physician assistants.
It is time to end Montana’s “don’t ask —don’t tell” groundwater development policy.
Lawyers and judges understand and respect the rule of law. This simple principle informed the writing and adoption of the federal Constitution and was carried through into states’ constitutions.
The Montana Supreme Court on Wednesday sided with a state district court’s decision to not block a state law prohibiting vaccine mandates in most workplaces.
"I think there's a sizeable number or group of voters that want a nonpartisan judiciary," political scientist Jessi Bennion said Wednesday.
By Wednesday afternoon, Gustafson had 220,692 votes to Brown's 187,194. Turnout in the state was nearly 57% and and about 75% of votes statewide were counted.
Outside spending to support Gustafson's challenger, Public Service Commission President James Brown, reached $646,000 in the same timeframe.
This fall the voters slogan should be not America First but: “American Democracy First”!