judicial

Senators voted down Senate Bill 543 – the latest proposal to allow candidates for judicial offices to use political party labels – on a 27-22 vote.

The Montana House and Senate voted Thursday on seven Republican-sponsored bills that would make changes to the state’s judicial branch and legal system.

Jim Elliott writes, "The Courts are not supposed to be there to support the Legislature or the Governor, no matter which political party may be in power."

Jim Nelson writes, "These attacks on state judicial branches have been incremental, a law here, a law there, chip, chipping away at the third branches of government, with the ultimate goal of bringing judges and the courts under the control and heavy thumbs of the legislative and executive branches of government."