FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 13th, 2026
HELENA, Mont. – The Montana Republican Party (MTGOP) Executive Board passed a resolution last week formally opposing Constitutional Initiative 132 (CI-132), which seeks to cement a progressive judiciary in the state by preventing judicial candidates from informing the public of their political affiliation.
So-called “nonpartisan” judicial elections do not remove politics from the judicial process. Rather, they serve only to obscure politics, leaving ordinary voters in the dark under the false pretense of neutrality and nonpartisanship.
The partisan nature of CI-132 itself is made evident by the coalition of Democrat-aligned organizations bankrolling the effort, including Catalyst Montana, Forward Montana, Fireweed Campaigns, the Montana Federation of Public Employees, Big Sky 55+, and the ACLU of Montana. These groups are funded by a network of out-of-state, far-left, billionaire donors – the same Democrat network which has spent hundreds of thousands of dollars on Montana Supreme Court races.
“The MTGOP believes Montana should retain judicial elections, but reform them to be free, fair, and honest by allowing candidates to run with a political designation if they so choose, in keeping with their basic First Amendment rights, as well as giving voters the knowledge they need to make an informed decision,” the resolution said.
Montanans should not be fooled by signature gatherers and other proponents of CI-132 who falsely claim the measure will keep politics out of the courts. They should also ensure that paid signature gatherers are in compliance with new state laws requiring that they disclose their first name, state of residence, and status as a paid operative.
A full copy of the resolution can be found at https://mtgop.org/2026-resolutions/.