Author: Keegan Flaherty
-
Sotomayor says presidents have largely followed rule of law, offers words of caution
U.S. Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor said presidents have historically obeyed judicial rulings with a few exceptions as she advocated for the court to move cautiously to maintain a system of checks and balances, but without directly referencing President Donald Trump’s efforts to test the limits of the executive power. “By and large, we have…
-
Montana Senate in ‘chaos’ over vote to refer ethics investigation to DOJ
In quarrel, many Republicans alleged ulterior motives, while Democrats said investigation is rife with politics In a lengthy fight on the Senate floor Thursday, Republicans accused Democrats of playing politics and ushering in a “dark day” for Montana after a successful move by Minority Leader Sen. Pat Flowers to suspend an ethics investigation into Sen.…
-
Disciplinary counsel says Montana Attorney General should face punishment for 41 violations
Documents say Knudsen refused court orders, failed to supervise employees, and undercut the justice system as state’s top attorney The lead attorney prosecuting the ethics case of Montana’s top attorney said in his latest filing before the Montana Supreme Court that the case isn’t about the separation of powers, a Constitutional crisis or even the…
-
Declining decorum in Senate Judiciary
The chair and vice chair of the Montana Legislature’s Senate Judiciary Committee had an agreement. Sen. Andrea Olsen, a Missoula Democrat and attorney by trade, would pass a note to Sen. Barry Usher, the sometimes-gruff Republican chairman from Molt, whenever Olsen saw something during the course of a committee hearing that she thought needed to…
-
Don’t Politicize Our Courts
Montana’s court system has served us well for over 90 years Our Republican legislators are on a mission to politicize Montana’s court system. Two bills being proposed by our Republican legislators, HJ 5 And SJ 4, would result in our judicial candidates being identified on the ballots as either Republican or Democrat in future elections.…
-
Senate launches ethics probe into Ellsworth’s actions
Sen. President Regier is ‘embarrassed by actions of another Republican’ The Montana Senate on Monday voted unanimously to open an ethics investigation into the actions of Sen. Jason Ellsworth — with him in support — when he signed a $170,100 contract with a business associate late last year. On Friday, a report from the Legislative Audit…
-
Legislative auditor finds Ellsworth committed waste, abuse
Contract signed by the former Senate president was rushed to get funding that expired on Dec. 31 Former Montana Senate President Jason Ellsworth abused his position of power in a contract he signed with a former associate and rushed the process to finalize it, resulting in a waste of state resources, according to findings published…
-
Legislature will reform Montana courts
Senate Republicans have numerous pieces of legislation to consider during the 2025 session, but few are as important as bills to reform Montana’s overreaching courts. The state’s judicial branch has ventured into the realm of making laws instead of interpreting them, endangering the system of checks and balances at the heart of American politics, as…
-
Do We Want More Partisan Politics?
Legislative gridlock. Party loyalty over practical solutions. Demonizing the opposition. We have witnessed many discouraging consequences of the hyper-partisanship that infects our political system today. Congress can’t pass a budget. Misinformation about disaster relief tied to political affiliation. Compromise considered a weakness. And the Montanan Senate has two bills before it that would inject more…
-
Montana judicial reform bills working their way through 69th Legislature
HELENA — On Thursday, the Montana House and Senate voted on seven Republican-sponsored bills that would make changes to the state’s judicial branch and legal system. Six of them are moving forward, while the last fell just short of a majority. This is just the latest step in what’s likely to be a session-long debate…