Study of Montana supreme court duties and responsibilities

This joint resolution requests an interim study to examine whether Montana's Supreme Court needs six associate justices or if reducing that number to four would better match its workload. The study will review constitutional history, past legislation (including 1979 and 1987 laws that increased the court size), and current caseload data. It will assess if the court's current workload justifies maintaining six associate justices or if a smaller court would suffice. The committee must complete the study and report findings to the 70th Legislature by September 15, 2026. The bill itself does not change court size - it only directs a review of the issue.