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Panel hears bill to allow political party contributions to judicial candidates

2250982 · February 5, 2025
AI-Generated Content: All content on this page was generated by AI to highlight key points from the meeting. For complete details and context, we recommend watching the full video. so we can fix them.

Summary

Representative Tom Millett presented House Bill 39 to repeal the statute banning political party contributions to judicial candidates; proponents said modest party support increases voter information and candidate viability, opponents warned it would inject partisan influence into the judiciary.

The Senate Judiciary Committee heard House Bill 39, which would repeal MCA 13-30-5231 (the current prohibition on political-party contributions to judicial candidates) and allow political party committees to contribute to judicial campaigns under existing campaign limits. Representative Tom Millett, sponsor, said partisan involvement can “enhance transparency, accountability, and public trust,” and argued party contributions would help judicial candidates reach voters.

Supporters included Darren Gaub of the Montana Freedom Caucus and county-level…

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