Gallatin County Attorney Audrey Cromwell filed a petition on Friday, May 1, a day after Attorney General Austin Knudsen announced supervisory control of her office. The disagreement goes back to immigration enforcement at the county level.
Knudsen is calling for counties to follow state law by cooperating with federal immigration agencies in all requests for information. Cromwell’s office denied a request from ICE in October. She cites privacy laws for refusing.
Cromwell is asking the Supreme Court to determine whether counties can give confidential information to federal immigration enforcement for non-criminal or administrative purposes without first getting a court order. She’s also asking the court to dismiss Knudsen’s supervisory control of her office.
A Supreme Court justice Tuesday issued an order giving the attorney general until the end of next Thursday [May 14] to respond. Yellowstone Public Radio reached out to both attorneys.
In an email, a spokesperson with attorney general Austin Knudsen says QUOTE “We’re not going to discuss our legal strategy in the media. You’ll find out when we file our response.” Cromwell’s legal representative says in an email that Cromwell looks forward to the Attorney General’s response and the Court’s decision.
