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LaFountain was a piece of Montana history
Montana lost a living piece of history on March 24. Staff Sgt. Ernest F. LaFountain died after a year-long battle with cancer. I met him through the “Vietnam Voices” project The Billings Gazette produced during 2015-’16. He was one of nearly 80 Vietnam Veterans I interviewed. Not only did the state lose a Purple Heart […]
Court administrator asks Supreme Court to intervene while lawmakers move ahead to join lawsuit
In an emergency filing with the state’s highest court, the Montana Courts Administrator is asking the justices to take jurisdiction over the release of thousands of her emails, and stop the legislative subpoena which called upon the executive branch to take the judicial branch’s records on behalf of the legislative branch. Randy Cox, attorney for […]
AG to Supreme Court: Legislature will not abide court order
The Montana Attorney General’s Office told the Montana Supreme Court that it will not follow orders the high court issued on Sunday, which would have stopped a legislative subpoena, and said it was continuing in its efforts to review the email of the court administrator as well as the conduct of other judges. In a […]
Democrats want Department of Administration emails
As both the Montana House and Senate move closer to becoming a party to a lawsuit that will decide how judges are appointed in Montana, Democrats are demanding emails and communication from the leader of the Department of Administration. Senate Resolution 97 passed on Monday and would allow the Senate to become a party to […]
Supreme Court stops legislative subpoenas in emergency action during the weekend
In a flurry of uncommon weekend activity, the Montana Supreme Court defanged a legislative end run by lawmakers to force the courts to hand over emails in a case that pits the three branches of state government against each other. On Sunday, the state’s highest court said that a legislative subpoena issued by Sen. Keith […]
LiveWell 49 determined to combat suicide epidemic and live healthier
Four years ago, during one very bad week, two high school students from Livingston died by suicide. The mark left on the community was more than just the stories that followed from one of the students. For example, a lawsuit filed by Deon Gillen’s family alleged the teenager had been bullied for years and administrators […]
Report: Change in Montana law could mean more than 20,000 lose health care
Two of the country’s leading public health experts are weighing in on the Montana Legislature’s plan to limit Medicaid’s “continuous eligibility,” saying that calculations, estimates and numbers being given to the public are flawed and miscalculated, which will lead to as many as six times the number of people being kicked off the insurance rolls […]
Quinn tapped to be VA undersecretary
Former Montana Adjutant General Matt Quinn has been tapped by President Joseph Biden to be the Under Secretary for Memorial Affairs for the Veterans Affairs. Maj. Gen. Quinn served as the 27th leader of the Montana Army National Guard, and he also served in the U.S. Army. Quinn is a veteran of Operation Desert Storm […]
Montana Senate and House pass resolutions seeking involvement in judicial appointments lawsuit
Senate and House Republicans passed resolutions on party lines in both chambers Friday allowing the legislature to seek to intervene in a lawsuit challenging a bill recently signed into law that would give the governor the power to fill judicial vacancies and abolish the judicial nomination commission. Because the constitutionality of a law the legislature […]
Do as I say, not as I do: The mixed messaging of Montana’s leaders
Forgive me for being naïve. A career spent covering politics should be enough to prove to me that ideological consistency has never been a hallmark of American politicians. How often do we hear variations of the question that goes something like this: How can a party that wants to legislate that life begins at the […]
Supreme Court agrees to hear SB140 case, denies request to stay the proceedings
The Montana Supreme Court has agreed to hear a case that challenges the constitutionality of a new law that abolished the judicial nominating commission and lets the governor directly appoint judges. The state’s highest court also said that six of the members of the court will hear the case and denied Gov. Greg Gianforte’s motion […]
A ‘Legacy’ of lawsuits from multiple states for cremation service
The company whose founder earned the reputation of being “The Body Baron of Broward County” has moved to the Big Sky State. Sort of. An unlicensed funeral cremation services company that has found itself on the receiving end of lawsuits in at least five states and slapped with court orders to pay $30 million to victims […]