Justice
Missoula couple sues Albertsons after knife slashing
Missoula couple Dylan and Joselin Turner are taking Albertsons and Tremper Shopping Center to court after an unprovoked man wearing a grocery store vest slashed Dylan Turner’s arm in the parking lot and put him out of work, according to a complaint filed Friday in Missoula County District Court. The man, Shane Roy Davis, on […]
State DOC reports higher vaccination rates than state among incarcerated persons
The Montana Department of Corrections reported higher vaccination rates among incarcerated people than the statewide average and said since early August, 19 staff and 14 incarcerated people at the Montana State Prison in Deer Lodge tested positive for COVID-19 as the state inside and outside of correctional facilities struggles with rising infections driven by the […]
Gov. Gianforte, MT congressional delegation react to Afghan refugees coming to Missoula
Gov. Greg Gianforte said on Thursday he plans to welcome fully-vetted Missoula-bound Afghan refugees fleeing the humanitarian crisis stemming from the end of the war in Afghanistan. “Montana welcomes our fully-vetted Afghan allies who worked alongside us, have left their homes in the face of the Taliban’s reemerging, merciless terror, and seek freedom and safety,” […]
Gymnasts urge U.S. Senate to investigate Larry Nassar sexual abuse after botched FBI inquiry
WASHINGTON — Olympic gold medalists including Simone Biles and Aly Raisman on Wednesday detailed for the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee the failure of the FBI to investigate dozens of complaints of sexual abuse committed by Larry Nassar, the disgraced team doctor for USA Gymnastics and a former Michigan State University physician. The gymnasts also urged senators to […]
Gianforte solicits applications for two judicial vacancies
Gov. Greg Gianforte said he is accepting applications for judicial vacancies in Yellowstone and Gallatin counties. First reported by the Billing’s Gazette, Yellowstone County District Court Judge Gregory Todd, the county’s longest sitting judge, will retire on Dec. 31, 2021. The other vacancy was created by the state legislature at the proposal of Gianforte to […]
Montana judges defend Judicial Standards Commission at legislative hearing
Montana Supreme Court Chief Justice Mike McGrath and 1st Judicial District Court Judge Mike Menahan appeared before the Law and Justice Interim Committee on Tuesday to discuss the Judicial Standards Commission, a body the committee is studying for possible reform during the 2023 legislative session and was the subject of Republican scrutiny during the last […]
Revised voting rights bill rolled out in U.S. Senate, with Manchin on board
WASHINGTON — Senate Democrats on Tuesday unveiled a revamped voting rights bill that would expand voter registration as well as create nonpartisan redistricting committees, but the measure is still likely to face an uphill battle in an evenly divided Senate. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said he will bring the legislation to the floor of […]
MT Citizens for Right to Work sues COPP over ‘bizarre law’
In a lawsuit filed Monday, Montana Citizens for Right to Work is asking a U.S. District Court judge to rule that the state’s Clean Campaign Act is unconstitutional and to prevent the Commissioner of Political Practices from prosecuting the political committee over its alleged violations of the law. The group argues in the suit that […]
‘Cocktail of voter suppression’: Montana youth groups challenge new voting laws
Three youth groups filed a lawsuit on Thursday challenging three recently passed laws they say restrict young Montanans’ access to voting by infringing on voting rights and equal protections guaranteed in the state constitution. The lawsuit, filed in Yellowstone County District Court, calls Senate Bill 169, House Bill 506 and House Bill 176 a “cocktail […]
Supreme Court ends subpoena fight, denying AG’s request for rehearing
In a shorter, but no less strident order, the Montana Supreme Court denied a petition by the state’s attorney general and legislature to rehear the case concerning subpoenas lawmakers issued to the Courts Administrator Beth McLaughlin requiring thousands of her emails. Previously, the court ruled unanimously that the legislative subpoenas to investigate the judicial branch […]
Native transgender lobbyist sues conservative news website for libel
An Native American lobbyist is suing an online newspaper in eastern Montana for libel, claiming the publication made claims that damaged her ability to perform her job, and is seeking $250,000 in damages from the Montana Daily Gazette. Adrian Jawort, a transgender lobbyist for Montana Native Voice, is suing the paper for claiming that she […]
New study suggests Native American voting disparity growing
A new report from the Brennan Center for Justice demonstrates that the gap between white voters and non-white voters in states that were once required to get clearance from the federal government before implementing new voting laws has widened since the U.S. Supreme Court struck down a portion of the Voting Rights Law in 2013. […]