LEGISLATURE: Motion to hold House GOP Caucus in contempt for unannounced meeting denied because 1998 judgment that caucuses are subject to Art. II §9 did not include notice requirement… Seeley. [Read more…]
Right to know, inter-county standing, settlement
RIGHT TO KNOW: Resident of one county has standing to bring claim to see another county’s settlement agreement (1st impression)… Neill reversed. [Read more…]
Right to know, county treasurer, prior school
RIGHT TO KNOW: Ravalli Treasurer’s investigative/ discipline documents from prior Missoula school employment as food supervisor ordered released to media, other documents with significant private information not released… Media Respondents’ request for fees/costs denied… Townsend. [Read more…]
Supreme Court, candidate eligibility
SUPREME COURT candidate’s admission to practice in 2005 satisfies Constitution requirement that a justice be “admitted to the practice of law in Montana for at least five years prior to the date of appointment or election” notwithstanding his choice to [Read more…]
Right to know/participate, standing, tolling
RIGHT TO KNOW/PARTICIPATE: County resident has standing to challenge Commissioners’ policy, adopted in allegedly unannounced meeting, of letting officials receive cash in lieu of health insurance contributions, Fleenor overruled to extent it [Read more…]
Discrimination, misplaced HO order, $368,240
DISCRIMINATION: 49-2-505(3)(c) is statutory time prescription, “good cause” for excusing requires circumstances beyond reasonable control, misplacement of HO’s order insufficient good cause for missing deadline for judicial review of $368,240 HRC award to obese track laborer [Read more…]
Elections, LR-119 invalidation rationale
ELECTIONS: LR-119 to provide for election of Supreme Court justices by district properly invalidated… non-retiring Justices not required to recuse… challenge justiciable… 60-page opinion explaining prior decision… Reynolds affirmed. [Read more…]
Elections, LR-119, Supreme Court judges by district
ELECTIONS: Reynolds’s order invalidating LR-119 (election of Supreme Court justices by district) affirmed on expedited appeal, opinion to follow… order. [Read more…]
Disability/age discrimination, direct evidence
DISABILITY/AGE DISCRIMINATION: HO failed to properly recognize nature of direct evidence and apply appropriate analysis to undisputed facts surrounding termination of RR conductor trainee for purported safety reasons… remanded for further analysis of Plaintiff’s direct [Read more…]
$500,000 settlement, City Commission speaker
SETTLEMENT: $500,000, following ruling by Irigoin that citizen’s rights to assemble, speak, participate violated by City [Read more…]