Friends of the Third Branch informs Montanans about legislative and policy developments that impact their courts and judges. We work to protect Montana’s Constitutional system, ensuring governmental checks and balances.
ABOUT US
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 judiciary.
These threats to the independence of our courts erode public trust, restrict access to justice, and endanger our constitutional rights. We believe that Montanans deserve judges who are independent, accountable to the law—not political agendas—and capable of upholding checks and balances without interference.
To protect the independence of courts, Friends of the Third Branch works in three areas:
Public Education. We simplify complex legal and legislative issues so everyone can understand the attacks on our courts, how changes to our judicial system could harm people’s lives, and how people can help.
Legislative Analysis. Whether in a legislative session or during the interim, we track bills and other actions that affect the independence of the courts and provide nonpartisan analysis of their potential impacts. We have helped defeat constitutional amendments and other legislative actions that could undermine the courts and the judicial process.
Civic Engagement. We provide tools and information so lawyers and citizens can engage directly with lawmakers and administrative officials to support a court system free from politics.
PARTNERS
Tamzin G. Brown
Resources
LEADERSHIP
Betsy Brandborg
Betsy grew up in Darnestown, Maryland with most summers in Hamilton, Montana. Her family’s roots are in the Bitterroot. She graduated from American University in Washington, D.C., spent three years working for Senator Max Baucus in D.C., then attended law school at the University of Montana. Following a Montana Supreme Court clerkship, she worked in the Montana Attorney General’s Office, shifted to the Risk Management and Tort Division, and from there became the first General and Ethics Counsel at the State Bar of Montana, where she enjoyed 26 years of working with the state’s lawyers and judges.
Dennis Lopach
Dennis grew up in Great Falls and attended Catholic schools before enrolling at the University of Montana. There he studied history and political science and fretted extensively about his draft number (31). One of his favorite memories from those days is sitting in Prof. Jules Karlin’s constitutional history class the morning after Roe vs. Wade was announced. Following law school, Dennis worked for the Montana Public Service Commission and then a number of energy and telecommunications businesses in Helena, Denver, and Atlanta. Focusing on regulation and policy, Dennis held a variety of legal, regulatory, and management positions.
Mark Murphy
Born in Seattle, Mark Murphy attended Washington State University before graduating from the University of Montana School of Law in 1978. he served as an Assistant Attorney General from 1979 to 2003 and tried numerous complex criminal cases around the state. During his time with the Department of Justice, Mark worked on legislative issues involving the department’s budget, DUI, and domestic violence. He represented Montana in State v. Moore, the first time that DNA identification evidence was admitted in a criminal case. From 2003-2010, Mark served as the Chief Criminal Deputy in the Yellowstone County Attorney’s office. There, he supervised State v. Covington, in which the standards governing DNA evidence were more fully developed.
Larry Epstein
Larry grew up in North Cut Bank and is a fourth generation Montanan. He graduated from the University of Montana, served in the Navy in Vietnam, and practiced law on the Hi-Line, where he also served as Glacier County Attorney. Retiring from that job, he began lobbying for Montana law enforcement and county attorneys. Larry is an avid Lewis and Clark amateur scholar and lecturer, know for tours of the Lewis and Clark encounter site on the Two Medicine River on the Blackfeet Reservation in Montana. He has served on several history and conservation boards and actively participates in Montana politics and public service.