A handful of Montana bills pushing for partisan judicial elections as part of a broader movement in the state were defeated this month. Montana law has required judicial elections to be nonpartisan for 90 years,

The Senate approved the bill on a 31-19 vote and it now faces one more vote before heading to the governor’s desk.

Judge Dan Wilson, a Flathead County District Court judge, lost to now-Justice Katherine Bidegaray by eight percentage points and about 45,000 votes in last November’s election

A bill that would ask voters to vote on a constitutional amendment to define personhood as starting at conception sparked contentious debate in the Senate Judiciary Committee on Tuesday.

Some GOP lawmakers who opposed the bill said they would rather Montana move away from judicial elections in favor of merit-based appointments, which would be less susceptible to special interests.

The Montana Legislature held more marathon sessions on Friday, with a deadline looming on Saturday. Any bill that affects state revenues needs to pass either the House or Senate by the end of the day.

Barely a month before local school board elections, Lincoln County's election administrator is at home with no assurance of when she may return to work. Melanie Howell, hired to run the county's elections in May 2023 following the resignation of Paula Buff,