Montana

Kagan cites Ford’s ‘truckload of contacts’ with plaintiffs’ home states in jurisdictional SCOTUS ruling

The Ford Motor Co. can be sued for alleged defects in its vehicles in the states where the plaintiffs lived and the alleged harm happened, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled Thursday in an 8-0 opinion.

Mar 25, 2021 11:55 AM CDT

‘You are not dicking around with a rookie;’ lawyer’s deposition ‘churlishness’ is memorialized

A federal magistrate judge has declined to impose a monetary sanction on a Montana lawyer who told opposing counsels that they are “not dicking around with a rookie” and suggested that he could get on a plane to personally punch one of them in the head.

Dec 17, 2020 10:57 AM CST

Oregon voters legalize psychedelic mushrooms, decriminalize drugs; 4 other states OK recreational marijuana

Voters in several states loosened drug laws Tuesday, going so far in Oregon as to legalize psychedelic mushrooms and to decriminalize small amounts of heroin and other drugs.

Nov 4, 2020 11:39 AM CST

Potential juror says he was put in COVID-19 ‘petri dish’ at jail for refusing to wear mask in court

A visiting judge in Great Falls, Montana, held a juror in contempt and sent him to jail last week for refusing to wear a face shield or a mask for a trial.

Aug 31, 2020 10:54 AM CDT

Afternoon Briefs: Prosecutor who filed OSHA complaint dies from COVID-19; Wells Fargo faces new class action

Prosecutor who filed OSHA complaint dies from COVID-19 A prosecutor in Pennsylvania who filed a complaint with the Occupational Safety and Health Administration after becoming ill with COVID-19 has died from the virus. Assistant Allegheny County District Attorney Russ Broman died at age 65. Broman thought that he contracted the…

Aug 12, 2020 4:30 PM CDT

Previous bar examinees won’t get benefit of new California cut score, state supreme court says

A lowered cut score on the California bar exam is permanent, but it will not be applied retroactively to earlier exams, the California Supreme Court announced Monday.

Aug 10, 2020 5:15 PM CDT

Supreme Court rules state can’t ban religious schools from scholarship program

The U.S. Supreme Court has ruled 5-4 that Montana’s decision to ban religious schools from a scholarship program violates the free exercise clause. Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. wrote the June 30 majority opinion.

Jun 30, 2020 9:43 AM CDT

Judge is accused of misstatements about legal experience and nanny’s employment

A judge in Billings, Montana, has been accused of lying about her employment of a nanny and overstating her legal experience.

Feb 4, 2020 11:56 AM CST

Jehovah’s Witnesses not negligent in $35M child-abuse case, court rules

The Montana Supreme Court has reversed a $35 million judgment against Jehovah’s Witnesses for failing to report that one of its members had been sexually abusing children for years.

Jan 13, 2020 1:40 PM CST

How do the states stack up? Lawyers make the most and least money in these areas

Lawyers make the lowest average salary in Montana and the highest average salary in California, according to data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Nov 20, 2019 10:55 AM CST

‘Gate money’ for released prisoners is usually chump change

Some formerly incarcerated people say it’s often not enough to meet their basic needs

Sep 11, 2019 2:49 PM CDT

Ban on political robocalls violates First Amendment, 9th Circuit rules

A Montana law that bans political robocalls is a content-based restriction that violates the First Amendment, a federal appeals court has ruled.

Sep 11, 2019 12:51 PM CDT

ACLU suit says bail bond industry is a RICO enterprise, bounty hunters traumatized family

The American Civil Liberties Union is taking on the bail bond industry in a suit filed after bounty hunters stormed a Montana home at gunpoint to apprehend a man who missed a court date. The federal suit was filed April 17 on behalf of Eugene Deshane Mitchell, his wife and…

Apr 22, 2019 7:00 AM CDT

ABA president urges Montana lawmakers to rethink driver’s license suspension in sentencing

In a letter to the Montana House Judiciary Committee, ABA President Bob Carlson expressed his support for a bill that would eliminate the suspension of a driver’s license or privilege as a sentencing option for nonpayment of fines, fees or restitution. He told the committee, which plans to have a…

Feb 8, 2019 11:57 AM CST

Judge blocks Keystone XL pipeline pending additional climate-impact review

A federal judge in Montana on Thursday blocked construction of the Keystone XL pipeline connecting Canadian oil sands fields to Texas refineries, citing the need for additional review of the impact on climate change. U.S. District Judge Brian Morris said the Trump administration violated environmental laws and the Administrative Procedure…

Nov 9, 2018 4:17 PM CST