MONTANA SUPREME COURT

ISSUES

The stakes in this election are simple: Our Last Best Place

PROTECT MONTANA’S CONSTITUTION with Judges Lynch and Bidegaray

The current Montana Constitution was adopted on March 22, 1972 and ratified by voters at an election held on June 6, 1972. The bipartisan group of delegates were overwhelmingly in favor of adding environmental protections to the new document, showing just how important this is for all Montanans.

What’s so great about the Montana Constitution?

• If you care about Montana’s outdoor spaces, a whole lot:
  • Article II, Section 3 guarantees a clean and healthy environment as an inalienable right. 
  • Article XI, Section 1 declares that “the state and each person shall maintain and improve” the environment.”
  • Article IX, Section 3 states “waters within the boundaries of the state are the property of the state for the use of its people.”  This right protects our access to public rivers and streams in Montana. 
  • In short, it safeguards Montana’s air, water, public lands, and our access to public lands and waters for generations to come.

Every Montanan in every community should know that this constitutional right is being threatened. During the 2023 legislative session, a record number of attacks on the Constitution were proposed. All were struck down, by lawmakers on both sides of the aisle.

Why should we care about the Montana Supreme Court?

Courts have played an important role in protecting the rights given to us by the Montana Constitution, including our rights to clean water, clean air, and access to our public lands and waters. The right to a clean and healthful environment has been the basis for several successful lawsuits over the years. As a result, some of Montanans’ favorite outdoor spaces have been saved from destruction.

We need a pro-Constitution, Fair and Impartial Supreme Court to protect Montana for future generations.

Our Constitution is under threat by powerful special interests who want to sell off our public lands to developers and out-of-state corporations. These entities don’t care what toxic mess they leave behind or what lands we lose access to.

Montana Conservation Voters has endorsed Judge Jerry Lynch and Judge Katherine Bidegaray in this upcoming election for Montana’s Supreme Court. Judges Lynch and Bidegaray are both highly-qualified, experienced judges, and lifelong Montanans that believe Supreme Court justices should be fair, impartial, and non-partisan. Most importantly, Judges Lynch and Bidegaray are committed to defending Montana’s State Constitution.  

Did you know?

• Overall, two thirds of Montana voters (63%) oppose amending the state’s constitution, with 45% strongly opposing amending it. No real partisan gap emerges beneath the surface with 64% of Democrats, 66% of independents, and 61% of Republicans in opposition to amending the constitution in any way.
• 66% of Montanans oppose revising the right to a clean and healthful environment to make it easier for private corporations to develop and profit from the state’s natural resources.
• 90% of Montanans agree that having 3 distinct branches of government is the best way to protect Montanans’ constitutional rights & freedoms.
• Over two-thirds of Montanans (71%) believe Supreme Court justices should remain nonpartisan positions, and nearly 9 out of every 10 Montanans (89%) think that Supreme Court justices should NOT make decisions based on political party considerations.
• 92% of Montanans oppose an amendment that would allow the Governor to appoint justices to the Supreme Court, rather than directly elected by the people.