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Missoula town hall warns Montana judiciary under coordinated attack; panel urges civic action
Summary
Panelists and a state senator at a Missoula town hall said a wave of bills and recent procedural changes are eroding judicial independence in Montana, described specific incidents (including a broad legislative subpoena and a change to the judicial selection process) and urged residents to contact legislators and use citizen initiatives to protect the courts.
A packed Missoula town hall on judicial independence heard panelists and a state senator warn that recent Montana legislative activity and procedural changes threaten the impartiality of judges and the state’s constitutional safeguards.
"We live in a state that has the best constitution," said State Senator Andrea Olsen, urging attendees to treat constitutional protections as the basis for civic action. Panelist Constance Van Cle, a constitutional law professor at the University of Montana’s Alexander Blewett III School of Law, described mounting pressure on judges from across the political spectrum and stressed institutional safeguards that limit political influence.
Panelists cited concrete developments they said demonstrate those pressures. Olsen said the Montana legislature drafted roughly 35 bills in a recent session aimed at restricting courts’ authority…
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