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House Judiciary hears bill to let judges attend partisan events, accept endorsements; Bar warns of appearance-of-impropriety
Summary
Lawmakers heard House Bill 169, which would lift some restrictions in the judicial code so judges and judicial candidates could attend partisan events and accept endorsements; the State Bar and public witnesses said the changes risk undermining public confidence in an impartial judiciary. Representative Tom Millett said he would remove any provision he believes conflicts with the Montana Constitution.
Representative Tom Millett opened discussion of House Bill 169, telling the House Judiciary Committee the proposal would allow judges and judicial candidates to attend or buy tickets to partisan political events and to seek and accept endorsements currently prohibited under Canon 4.1 of the Montana Code of Judicial Conduct. "This is my own contribution to the sorely needed judicial reform," Millett said as he described a handout showing the canons the bill would leave unchanged and those it would alter.
Millett read from commentary attributed to a Supreme Court justice arguing judges should not be barred from civic campaign events and said the bill’s near‑term change would remove sanctions for attendance and for accepting endorsements; broader partisan activity in the bill would be contingent on whether the Legislature later allows partisan judicial elections. "Those [activities] would be optional," he said, adding…
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