Montana Politics: Latest News

“All this extra spending which makes each one of Montana’s paychecks go less far. It’s a bad idea..."

A state judge Thursday struck down portions of a Republican-passed law that restricted voter-registration drives and other political activity on portions of Montana state college campuses.

Western district Republican congressional candidate Mary Todd’s reason for running is not what you hear from the usual candidate: That she has experience dealing with governments, both domestic and international, when investigating the murder of her son 10 years ago.

For the top fundraisers in Montana’s two 2022 congressional races, culling campaign cash is a national affair, with donors from across the country and a relatively small portion of their money coming from Montanans.

A state judge Tuesday rejected a request to block Montana’s controversial law that bars businesses or other employers from requiring employees to be vaccinated – and indicated she will not find it unconstitutional.

Several other candidates, both Democratic and Republican, are racking up respectable fundraising numbers in the western district.

The lawsuit was filed in the United States District Court for the Northern District of Texas last week claiming the Central American Minors (CAM) Program is unconstitutional and costly to American states.

An expanded state income-tax credit for donations to private-school scholarships has hit its $1 million cap for the 2022 tax year – less than three weeks into the year.

The pastor has tainted the jury pool in Richland County with repeated “inflammatory” public comments, a judge has ruled.

Former U.S. Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke Friday became the fourth Republican to pay the filing fee to run in Montana’s new western congressional district – and is considered by many to be the front-runner for the nomination and perhaps the seat itself.

In his court battle to save Montana’s new abortion restrictions, Republican Attorney General Austin Knudsen is taking aim at a 22-year-old ruling that’s become a legal pillar of abortion rights in Montana: The 1999 Armstrong decision.

Laslovich served in the Montana Senate from 2005 to 2010 and in the Montana House of Representatives from 2001 through 2004.

Governor Greg Gianforte visited Diehl Ranch Co. on Monday to discuss the impacts of his Montana Comeback Plan and see how his policies have affected local businesses.

The count will be done as soon as it can be arranged with Missoula County election officials

In the wake of hundreds of Montana child-care providers applying for federal Covid-19 relief funds, the Gianforte administration is making all $60 million available – but has yet to distribute any money, more than 10 months after Congress approved it.

Mary Todd, a Kalispell Republican who calls herself an “unapologetic, America-first conservative,” is the second GOP candidate to file to run for Congress in Montana’s District 1, which is a new open seat that covers western Montana.

The state Land Board Tuesday approved the re-routing of a pipeline underneath the Yellowstone River at Laurel, despite opposition and concerns raised by some local landowners.

A federal judge Tuesday struck down a portion of Montana’s “clean campaign act,” saying it’s an unconstitutional burden on free speech to require political committees to notify candidates about last-minute attack campaign material.

On Friday, several hundred people filled the Montana State Capitol rotunda, praising new laws restricting abortion in the state and calling for more action in the coming months.

Montana’s only congressman, Republican Rep. Matt Rosendale, spent most of his first year voting “no” on every major Biden administration initiative – but said Friday he couldn’t support what he called “a lot of bad legislation” that would over-extend government power and spending.

Stewart Rhodes was arrested in Texas this week for allegedly committing seditious conspiracy. He had been a practicing lawyer in Montana before his disbarment in 2015.

A federal court Thursday set a March 4 trial for deciding whether and how to redraw Montana’s five Public Service Commission districts this election year – and blocked the state from certifying any candidates running for the two PSC seats up for election.

Candidate filing for Montana’s 2022 elections kicked off Thursday morning at the Capitol, with a pair of hopefuls for Montana’s newly minted western congressional district topping the list.

The plaintiffs sued in May to overturn the two laws, House Bill 176 and part of House Bill 530, and filed Wednesday with Yellowstone County Judge Michael Moses seeking a preliminary injunction.

In the wake of historic losses in Montana’s 2020 election, state Democrats are hoping to bounce back, as the 2022 campaign season officially begins Thursday – but some acknowledge it may be a long, uphill climb.

A grand jury brought five charges against Muntzer last year, one felony and four misdemeanors.

Republican Gov. Greg Gianforte on Monday joined GOP legislators and Montana’s Republican attorney general, in asking the U.S. Supreme Court to intervene in their dispute with the Montana Supreme Court over whether that court is improperly “prejudging proposed legislation.”

Montana Supreme Court Justice Jim Rice said Thursday he will run for re-election this year to a third eight-year term on the state’s highest court, potentially extending his tenure as the court’s longest-serving justice.

U.S. Sen. Jon Tester wasn’t at the U.S. Capitol when pro-Trump demonstrators stormed the building last Jan. 6. But he was watching the event unfold on TV, as he’d been preparing a speech to oppose his colleagues who planned to vote against the certification of Joe Biden's election.

After months of preparation and planning, Montana marijuana dispensaries made their first sales to adult-use customers on Saturday morning, Jan. 1, 2022. Most providers MTN talked to Tuesday said the first weekend was a success.