The Montana attorney general last week filed a motion for the state Supreme Court to recuse itself from a case involving its own administrator.
Republican Attorney General Austin Knudsen in an April 30 filing called it an obvious conflict of interest for the Supreme Court to hear a case deciding if Administrator Beth McLaughlin should release emails involving the judicial branch.
Hearing the case, and previously granting an emergency weekend motion by McLaughlin to quash a subpoena for her emails, undercut the public s
 confidence in the integrity of the judiciary, Knudsen argued.
Montana State News Bureau Chief Holly Michels summarizes the day s news from Helena following the end of the 2021 Montana legislative session.
The Montana Supreme Court on Sunday put the brakes on a legislative inquiry into the state court administratorâs emails, which recent revelations have shown to contain judgesâ polls on pending legislation and were deleted from the administratorâs account.
A dispute over the separation of powers is developing out of a state Supreme Court case over the constitutionality of a new law signed last month expanding the governorâs appointment power over judicial vacancies.Â
On Monday the Senate Republicans, through counsel with the Montana Department of Justice, said they will defy the court s order quashing the subpoena, stating the dispute over judicial emails do not belong in the case challenging the constitutionality of a new law.
The Montana Supreme Court on Sunday put the brakes on a legislative inquiry into the state court administratorâs emails, which recent revelations have shown to contain judgesâ polls on pending legislation and were deleted from the administratorâs account.
A dispute over the separation of powers is developing out of a state Supreme Court case over the constitutionality of a new law signed last month expanding the governorâs appointment power over judicial vacancies.Â
On Monday the Senate Republicans, through counsel with the Montana Department of Justice, said they will defy the court s order quashing the subpoena, stating the dispute over judicial emails do not belong in the case challenging the constitutionality of a new law.