Revise judicial conduct laws

Elections

Passed Legislature

This bill passed both chambers and reached final enrollment, even if later executive action is not shown here.

Sponsor: Tom Millett
Last action: 2025-05-22
Official status: (H) Died in Process
Effective date: Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

The bill summary does not provide specific details about consequences for breaking rules.

Rules for Judges and People Running to Be Judges

This bill sets new rules about what judges and people running to be judges can do in political activities.

What This Bill Does

Allows judges and judicial candidates to attend or purchase tickets for dinners or other events sponsored by a partisan or independent candidate for nonjudicial public office.
Permits judges and judicial candidates to seek, accept, or use endorsements from a political organization or a partisan or independent nonjudicial officeholder or candidate.
If allowed by law to campaign with a party designation, judges and judicial candidates may act as leaders in or hold an office in a political organization.
Judges and judicial candidates can make speeches on behalf of a political organization or any partisan or independent nonjudicial officeholder or candidate for public office if permitted by law.
Allows judges and judicial candidates to solicit funds, pay assessments, or make contributions to political organizations or on behalf of nonjudicial officeholders or candidates.

Who It Names or Affects

Judges
People running to be judges

Terms To Know

endorsement: When someone says they support a person or group in an election.
political organization: A group that works for political goals, like supporting certain candidates or policies.

Limits and Unknowns

The bill does not specify what happens if judges break these rules.
It is unclear how this will affect current laws about judicial conduct.

Amendments

These notes stay tied to the official amendment files and metadata from the legislature.

Amendment 1

COMMITTEE

Plain English: Amendment 1 to HB169 allows judges and judicial candidates to engage more actively in political activities, such as speaking on behalf of a political organization or publicly endorsing nonjudicial candidates.

Judges and judicial candidates can now act as leaders in political organizations and hold offices within them.
They are allowed to make speeches for political organizations or endorse nonjudicial candidates.
They may solicit funds, pay assessments, or contribute money to political groups or candidates.

The amendment text does not specify limits on the extent of these activities beyond what is currently legal.

Bill History

2025-05-22 HOUSE
(H) Died in Process
2025-03-15 SENATE
(S) Scheduled for 2nd Reading
2025-03-15 SENATE
(S) 2nd Reading Concur Motion Failed
2025-03-15 SENATE
(S) 2nd Reading Indefinitely Postponed
2025-02-07 SENATE
(S) Committee Report--Bill Concurred
2025-02-05 SENATE
(S) Committee Executive Action--Bill Concurred
2025-02-04 SENATE
(S) Hearing
2025-01-27 HOUSE
(H) Transmitted to Senate
2025-01-27 SENATE
(S) First Reading
2025-01-27 SENATE
(S) Referred to Committee
2025-01-24 HOUSE
(H) Scheduled for 3rd Reading
2025-01-24 HOUSE
(H) 3rd Reading Passed
2025-01-23 HOUSE
(H) Scheduled for 2nd Reading
2025-01-23 HOUSE
(H) 2nd Reading Passed
2025-01-20 HOUSE
(H) Committee Executive Action--Bill Passed as Amended
2025-01-20 HOUSE
(H) Committee Executive Action--Bill Passed as Amended
2025-01-20 HOUSE
(H) Committee Report--Bill Passed as Amended
2025-01-14 HOUSE
(H) Hearing
2025-01-10 HOUSE
(H) Introduced
2025-01-10 HOUSE
(H) Referred to Committee
2025-01-10 HOUSE
(H) First Reading
2025-01-08 HOUSE
(LC) Draft Delivered to Requester
2024-12-20 HOUSE
(LC) Draft Ready for Delivery
2024-12-19 HOUSE
(LC) Draft in Assembly
2024-12-18 HOUSE
(LC) Draft in Final Drafter Review
2024-12-16 HOUSE
(LC) Draft in Input/Proofing
2024-12-10 HOUSE
(LC) Draft in Legal Review
2024-12-10 HOUSE
(LC) Draft in Edit
2024-11-27 HOUSE
(LC) Drafter Assigned

Official Summary Text

Revise judicial conduct laws

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text

- 2025
69th Legislature 2025 HB0169.2
- 1 - Authorized Print Version – HB 169
1 HOUSE BILL NO. 169
2 INTRODUCED BY T. MILLETT, L. SCHUBERT, B. USHER, T. TEZAK
3
4 A BILL FOR AN ACT ENTITLED: “AN ACT PROVIDING STANDARDS OF CONDUCT REGARDING
5 POLITICAL ACTIVITY FOR JUDGES AND JUDICIAL CANDIDATES.”
6
7 BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MONTANA:
8
9 NEW SECTION. Section 1. Conduct of judges and judicial candidates. (1) A judge or a judicial
10 candidate may:
11 (a) attend or purchase tickets for dinners or other events sponsored by a partisan or independent
12 candidate for nonjudicial public office; and
13 (b) seek, accept, or use endorsements from a political organization or a partisan or independent
14 nonjudicial officeholder or candidate.
15 (2) If allowed by law to campaign with a party designation, a judge or a judicial candidate may:
16 (a) act as a leader in or hold an office in a political organization;
17 (b)(A) make speeches on behalf of a political organization or any partisan or independent nonjudicial
18 officeholder or candidate for public office;
19 (c)(B) publicly endorse or oppose a partisan or independent candidate for any nonjudicial public
20 office;
21 (d)(C) solicit funds for, pay an assessment to, or make a contribution to a political organization or to or
22 on behalf of any partisan or independent officeholder or candidate for public office; and
23 (e)(D) publicly self-identify as a candidate of a political organization.
24
25 NEW SECTION. Section 2. Codification instruction. [Section 1] is intended to be codified as an
26 integral part of Title 3, chapter 1, and the provisions of Title 3, chapter 1, apply to [section 1].
27
28 NEW SECTION. SECTION 3. SEVERABILITY. IF A PART OF [THIS ACT] IS INVALID, ALL VALID PARTS THAT ARE
- 2025
69th Legislature 2025 HB0169.2
- 2 - Authorized Print Version – HB 169
1SEVERABLE FROM THE INVALID PART REMAIN IN EFFECT. IF A PART OF [THIS ACT] IS INVALID IN ONE OR MORE OF ITS
2APPLICATIONS, THE PART REMAINS IN EFFECT IN ALL VALID APPLICATIONS THAT ARE SEVERABLE FROM THE INVALID
3APPLICATIONS.
4 - END -