Montana legislation · 2025 Regular Session
Montana HB751: Partisan election of supreme court candidates
Status: Failed, May 20, 2025
What the bill says
A bill for an act providing for partisan nomination and election of supreme court justices and the chief justice of the supreme court; requiring candidates who do not file with a political party to appear on the ballot as "undisclosed"; providing that only one undisclosed candidate may advance to the general election; allowing candidates for supreme court justice or chief justice to accept political endorsements and contributions from political parties; amending sections 3-2-101, 13-10-201, 13-10-209, 1312-203, 13-14-111, 13-14-211, 13-14-212, 13-14-213, and 13-35-231, mca…
From the engrossed text:
A BILL FOR AN ACT PROVIDING FOR PARTISAN NOMINATION AND ELECTION OF SUPREME COURT JUSTICES AND THE CHIEF JUSTICE OF THE SUPREME COURT; REQUIRING CANDIDATES WHO DO NOT FILE WITH A POLITICAL PARTY TO APPEAR ON THE BALLOT AS "UNDISCLOSED"; PROVIDING THAT ONLY ONE UNDISCLOSED CANDIDATE MAY ADVANCE TO THE GENERAL ELECTION; ALLOWING CANDIDATES FOR SUPREME COURT JUSTICE OR CHIEF JUSTICE TO ACCEPT POLITICAL ENDORSEMENTS AND CONTRIBUTIONS FROM POLITICAL PARTIES; AMENDING SECTIONS 3-2-101, 13-10-201, 13-10-209, 1312-203, 13-14-111, 13-14-211, 13-14-212, 13-14-213, AND 13-35-231, MCA; AND PROVIDING AN APPLICABILITY DATE." BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MONTANA: Section 1. Section 3-2-101, MCA, is amended to read: "3-2-101. Number, nomination, election, and term of office. (1) The supreme court consists of a chief justice and six associate justices who are elected by the qualified electors of the state at large at the general state elections next preceding the expiration of the terms of office of their predecessors, respectively, and hold their offices for the term of 8 years from and after the first Monday of January next succeeding their election. (2) A supreme court justice, including the chief justice, must be nominated and elected on a partisan ballot in the same manner as provided for partisan candidates in Title 13, except that an incumbent justice who is the only …