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Bill would bar judges from chairing Judicial Standards Commission amid debate over impartiality
Summary
House Bill 36 would prohibit judges from serving as chair of the Judicial Standards Commission; proponents said the change removes a perception of conflict, opponents including the ACLU argued it removes an important judicial voice and risks undermining expertise
State Representative Lee Nave opened House Bill 36 by telling the committee the bill would change the commission’s chair: “This bill says that the chair of that commission will not be a judge,” Nave said, adding that judges’ expertise remains valuable but that removing the chairmanship helps “disassociate decisions by the commission from actions of the court.”
The ACLU of Montana’s Henry Seaton appeared as an opponent and urged a no vote. “Prohibiting judges to serve the people of Montana as…
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