Judicial Integrity & Bodily Autonomy: Attacks on the Courts are Attacks on Our Rights
Nonpartisan justice is worth protecting! Keeping our judges nonpartisan is important to ensure fair and equal access to the justice system for all of us. Our constitutional republic is based on having checks and balances between the executive, legislative, and judicial branches of government so that no one of them has too much power.
Legislators receive a score based on their votes on bills that align with MT4CTA’s legislative priorities to protect the independence and impartiality of Montana courts, so they can maintain our important system of checks and balances. (We also created a separate scorecard for policy related to bodily autonomy).
Lawmakers that vote in alignment with these priorities receive positive points while those who voted against our position receive negative points. Possible points vary by legislator, depending on their chamber, and if they were present for all votes. Additional points are given (or taken away) based on bill sponsorship; those who sponsor a good bill earn one point while those who sponsor a restrictive or bad bill lose one point.
We encourage you to look at the Index score to see the percentage of time that the legislator voted with us. Higher percentage points are more aligned with the values of Montanans for Choice Take Action.
Since 1997, eight of the nine Montana Supreme Court rulings related to abortion and reproductive freedom have been either unanimous (six cases) or with only one dissenting vote (three cases).
Again and again, the court has ruled that the Montana Constitution protects the privacy and freedom of all Montanans to make their own reproductive health decisions. In the single case not decided unanimously or with one dissent, the court still unanimously rejected the plaintiff’s claim of fetal personhood, and the dissent related only to a question on the relevant statute of repose.
Montanans For Choice Take Action tracked 28 bills attacking the independence of Montana’s state courts and their authority to protect Montana citizens and our state constitution from legislative and executive overreach. Another 3 bills attacked Montana citizens’ rights to direct participation in our democracy or the separation of church and state. We also tracked how legislators voted on those bills and kept score.
Our laws and policies are proposed and voted on by elected officials who represent their constituents, and Montana’s citizens have the right to hold them accountable for their actions. This scorecard allows you to explore how well your legislator’s votes aligned with Montanans for Choice Take Action’s views on bills this session.
The bill tracker below the scorecard summarizes these 31 bills and 10 others we tracked during the session. Montanans for Choice Take Action opposed all but one of these bills.
Judicial Integrity & Bodily Autonomy: Attacks on the Courts are Attacks on Our Rights
MT Supreme Court Abortion Rulings Since 1997
An organization that informs Montanans about legislative developments that impact their courts, judges, and Constitutional system of checks and balances.
State Courts Justice Project, information on state courts appointments and terms (50 state report)
2023 Update on Judicial Diversity
Election results, judicial candidate information, voting results