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Bill barring judges from serving as JSC chair prompts debate over expertise vs. perception of conflict
Summary
House Bill 36 would prohibit a judge from serving as chair of the Judicial Standards Commission; supporters said the change reduces perceived conflicts while opponents including the ACLU said it would exclude valuable judicial expertise and risk undermining the judiciary—s independence.
Representative opened House Bill 36 as a companion measure to HB 35, saying the proposal would change the commission—s leadership by preventing a judge from serving as chair while leaving judges on the commission as members. "The chair of that commission will not be a judge," the sponsor told the committee, describing the change as a further step to disassociate commission decisions from the Supreme Court.
The ACLU of Montana—s…
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