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Gianforte vetoes bill that would provide funding for law enforcement on Flathead reservation
Rep. Joe Read described what he thinks will happen next on the Flathead Indian Reservation when it comes to law enforcement. “The governor has walked into a buzzsaw by vetoing this,” Read said. Last week, Montana Gov. Greg Gianforte vetoed House Bill 479 which would have provided funding for law enforcement on the the Flathead […]
We thought we won: State argues it shouldn’t be held in contempt for birth certificate rules
Attorneys for the State of Montana have argued that the state should not be held in contempt next week in Yellowstone County District court because lawyers with the state’s Attorney’s General Office believed a unanimous Supreme Court decision handed them, not the American Civil Liberties Union of Montana, “a win.” In a case that stretches […]
Montana influencers file lawsuit on state TikTok ban in federal court
How is Montana’s newly enacted TikTok ban illegal? Well, lawyers for five popular TikTok users in the Treasure State have counted the ways, and they’ve told a federal judge that there are at least six legal problems with the first-of-its-kind ban which is scheduled to go into effect on Jan. 1, 2024 unless otherwise stopped. […]
Groups add two more recently signed abortion law to legal challenge
Almost as soon as Montana Gov. Greg Gianforte signed four abortion bills into law, groups challenging new abortion restrictions in the state amended their lawsuit to include two more bills into their plea for a preliminary injunction that would halt the laws from going into effect. The paperwork was sent to the Lewis and Clark […]
Gianforte’s legal analysis may be flawed, but his family bona fides are even worse
I don’t know if Gov. Greg Gianforte has read the Montana Constitution. I will assume he has. I don’t know if Gov. Gianforte has read the U.S. Constitution. I will assume he has. At various points in his political career, he’s sworn an oath to uphold, defend and protect both of them. Implicit in the […]
Hamm announces bid for Congress
Kevin Hamm told a crowd gathered in the backyard of a downtown Billings house that he can help unify the state behind one shared value that transcends both political parties – a belief in being stubbornly independent. As he announced his candidacy for the U.S. House of Representatives, he said the spirit that has made […]
Montana Supreme Court says advance practice nurses can perform abortion care
The Montana Supreme Court unanimously upheld the decision of a Lewis and Clark County District Court judge who ruled that advanced-practice nurse practitioners and other mid-level medical providers can perform both surgical and medication abortion in Montana, in a ruling issued Friday. The State of Montana and the Legislature argued that due to the risk […]
Federal court must decide whether BIA should be held responsible for officer’s sexual assault
In a case that has been to the Montana Supreme Court and the U.S. Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals twice, a federal judge moved closer to determining whether the U.S. government is liable for a law enforcement officer who coerced a woman into having sex with him while on duty and impregnating her. The criminal […]
Group says it plans to sue state, feds because they’re failing to protect grizzlies from trapping
A citizens’ task force says that it plans on suing both the state and federal government for not protecting grizzly bears because of the state’s zeal to enact expanded trapping and hunting laws without regard to the bears. The Flathead-Lolo-Bitterroot Citizen task force has sent the 60-day notice of intent to sue the United States […]
Lawsuit or legislation: Lake County waiting on governor before making law enforcement decision
A little bit of ink on paper is all that Lake County is waiting on in order to decide how to handle a years-long problem of law enforcement on reservation lands of the Confederated Salish and Kootenai tribes. Since 2017, Lake County and the State of Montana have been at loggerheads about who would provide funding […]
Montana Republican lawmakers don’t think much of the state’s constitution (or clean air)
As much as former Rep. Derek Skees deserved being pilloried for his comments about Montana’s hallowed Constitution being a “socialist rag,” no one seems to believe it more than Sen. Greg Hertz, R-Polson, and his buddies like Sen. Mark Noland, R-Bigfork. For all the targeting and unconstitutional policies passed aimed at the LGBTQ+ community this […]
Judge rules class action suit against Ravalli County jail diversion program can proceed
A federal magistrate has ruled that a class action lawsuit against Ravalli County’s jail diversion program can proceed, with indigent citizens saying the county is running a scheme that leaves clients who are unable to pay hundreds of dollars a month sitting in jail, instead of out on bail. In a court ruling in January, […]