Article Summary –
A Montana state district court judge, Deborah “Kim” Christopher, embroiled in legal battles and misconduct allegations, is vacating her seat in April. The Montana Supreme Court recently removed Christopher from a child custody case for a gross misapplication of the law, and other complaints have been filed against her for misconduct, cancelling hearings, and biased practices. Christopher’s resignation will conclude the proceedings against her before the Judicial Standards Commission and clears the path for the race’s other declared candidate, Britt Cotter, to potentially take her place in January 2025.
State District Court Judge Resigns Amidst Legal Struggles
State district court judge, Deborah “Kim” Christopher, has announced her resignation effective in early April, leaving a vacancy in Montana’s 20th Judicial District. Governor Greg Gianforte was notified on March 21 of the impending vacancy, which he has the legal authority to fill. However, the replacement will serve only until the first Monday of January 2025, when the newly elected judge will assume the position.
Christopher, the first female judge in her district, has served for almost 24 years but has recently been involved in several controversies. One controversy resulted in the Montana Supreme Court removing her from a child custody case due to what they declared as a “misapplication of the law” and the cause of a “gross injustice”. She has also faced a misconduct complaint and a complaint for violating the Montana Code of Judicial Conduct. The judicial proceedings against her will end with her resignation on April 6.
Britt Cotter, a Polson criminal defense lawyer, is the other declared candidate for the judgeship. Meanwhile, Governor Gianforte is currently accepting applications for the interim position until April 8. The appointment deadline is June 8.
Montana Supreme Court Strikes Down GOP Voting Laws
On Wednesday, in a decisive ruling, the Montana Supreme Court upheld a lower court’s decision that four voting laws passed by the 2021 legislature violate the state constitution. The opinion, spanning 125 pages, rejected Republican Secretary of State Christi Jacobsen’s attempt to end Election Day voter registration, ban paid ballot collection, and reintroduce stricter voter identification requirements.
However, the bench was divided regarding a law that prevents early distribution of mail-in ballots to minors turning 18 by election day. The court ruled the law unconstitutional, stating it hampers a certain group of voters’ voting options sans compelling reasoning. This ruling has further inflamed the ongoing political conflict between Republican lawmakers and the state’s judges.
Misattribution Error Corrected
A recent edition of Capitolized misattributed the authorship of a statement concerning a ceasefire in the Gaza war. The corrected version is available online.
Dispute Over Abortion Initiative Description
Montanans Securing Reproductive Rights (MSRR), a group supporting an initiative to inscribe specific abortion access protections in Montana’s Constitution, has asked the state Supreme Court to validate their proposed ballot language. They argue that the language proposed by Republican Attorney General Austin Knudsen is “argumentative, prejudicial, and inaccurate”. Knudsen’s office has until March 29 to respond. Once settled, MSRR may begin gathering signatures for the initiative.
Additional Resources
For more information, refer to the Daily Montanan’s coverage of Judge Christopher’s controversies, the analysis of the Montana Supreme Court’s voting laws ruling, and the ongoing debate surrounding Montana’s abortion access.
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