Montana Politics

The Montana Democratic Party, Montanans for Tester and a college student on Tuesday filed suit challenging the law in federal court in Missoula.

A Democratic Montana state lawmaker Wednesday questioned the head of the state health department about whether medical experts were involved in making a controversial emergency rule issued last month regarding masking in schools.

In a few months, Montana’s Districting and Apportionment Commission will finalize the state’s new maps outlining political districts. To kick things off, they’re looking at map submissions from the public.

From now until the next Montana legislative session in 2023, state lawmakers are studying potential ways they can change the judicial system. That conversation is happening while tensions are high between the two branches of government.

The new laws in question limit voter identification acceptable at the polls, restrict ballot drop-offs and eliminate same-day voter registration.

The Montana Supreme Court has denied Republican lawmakers’ request to withdraw a previous order that limited the legislature’s subpoena power.

Director Kurt Alme says in a news release he’s stepping down from the position to move back home to Billings where his family lives.

As the last United States’ military planes departed Afghanistan Monday, a group of Montana veterans met with Sen. Steve Daines to discuss the end of the nation’s longest war. They all encouraged Montanans to welcome Afghan ally refugees who now, or will soon, call Montana home.

A trillion-dollar infrastructure package backed by Montana’s senior senator took a step forward Thursday. The deal has bipartisan support but still faces hurdles. After a procedural vote, the infrastructure deal is headed to the Senate floor for debate.

We’re hungry for stories about people digging in their heels or searching for common ground, and where that journey takes them. Our hunch is that any number of Montana individuals, families, neighbors and communities are facing (or have gone through) their own unique disunion.