A bill to allow political parties to contribute to judicial campaigns got mixed reviews in the 69th Montana Legislature Wednesday. Supporters of House Bill 39 say it would make judicial races more competitive and promote transparency. On the other side are concerns about making the judicial system more partisan.
Republican Representative Tom Millett of Marion is carrying the bill. He told the committee, “Political party contributions, when done transparently and ethically, serve as a bridge between the judiciary and the public, allowing the people to have more of a voice in the judicial selection process and isn’t that what we want?”
Attorney Bruce Spencer doesn’t think so. He says, “The State Bar of Montana feels that is completely inappropriate because, as one of the proponents indicated, judges should be impartial and shouldn’t be tagged with political labels, and if you do so, you impede the partiality of the judge.” Other opponents argued the change could bring out-of-state influence to the judiciary.
KGEZ thanks reporter Clayton Murphy, of the University of Montana School of Journalism. The Montana Broadcasters, the Newspapers Association and the Greater Montana Foundation provided funding for these reports.
