Resources
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Speak Up for Justice
Speak Up for Justice seeks to bring the country together to voice support for the judiciary at a time when it is under unprecedented attack. It grows out of a…
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Legislative Assaults on State Courts in 2025
State legislatures retaliated against state courts that had struck down partisan gerrymanders, safeguarded direct democracy, and exerted independence from state political branches.
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State Court Report: The most significant state constitutional cases of the year
We asked leading commentators, scholars, and practitioners to share what they see as the most significant state constitutional case of 2025. I’m sharing their answers below. We’ll be back again…
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State of the State Courts: 2025 Public Opinion Poll Findings
For the 12th consecutive year, NCSC has teamed up with leading national pollster GBAO Strategies to conduct our State of the State Courts public opinion survey. The survey provides real-time…
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Fact Sheet: The Importance of the Judiciary
The Montana and U.S. governments consist of three branches—legislative, executive, and judicial. This separation of powers, established by our Montana and U.S. Constitutions, includes a system of checks and balances…
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Lessons from Poland for U.S. Judges on Defending the Rule of Law
A new brief from Piper Fund synthesizes perspectives shared at the “Lessons from Poland for U.S. Judges on Defending the Rule of Law” convening and through participant interviews afterward into…
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Watch the recordings of the Legislature, the Judiciary, and the Rule of Law.
On September 26, 2025, Friends of the Third Branch held a CLE in Missoula, Montana at the Alexander Blewett III School of Law. Now you can watch each of the…
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FACT SHEET: About Friends of the Third Branch
We were founded in 2023 by four retired Montana lawyers who recognized that Montana’s courts and judges are facing increasing pressure from partisan efforts to influence, weaken, or politicize the…
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FACT SHEET: The Importance of Non-Partisan Elections of Judges and Justices
Montana’s Constitution guarantees judicial independence to maintain impartiality and uphold the rule of law. There are many types of courts in Montana. Municipal and justice courts deal with traffic violations…
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The Legislature, the Judiciary, and the Rule of Law
Join Friends of the Third Branch on September 26, 2025 from 1:00 to 4:30 pm for FREE continuing legal education opportunity. Friends of the Third Branch and the Brennan Center…