Remove Supreme Court original jurisdiction for ballot review
SB 13 would change Montana law by removing the Montana Supreme Court's direct authority to review ballot measure challenges, shifting this responsibility to district courts. The bill specifically targets disputes over ballot statements approved by the Attorney General or the legal sufficiency of petitions, directing these cases to be filed in district court instead of the Supreme Court. Key provisions include amending Section 13-27-605 to establish district court as the initial review venue and repealing Section 3-2-202, which previously granted the Supreme Court original jurisdiction over such matters. This change affects voters, petitioners, and opponents challenging ballot language before elections, requiring them to seek review in district court rather than the Supreme Court. The bill would take immediate effect upon passage.
Bill status
died
3 of 5 stages cleared
Introduction
Dec 2024
Committee Review
Apr 2025
Senate Passage
Jan 2025
House Failed
Apr 2025
Governor
Introduced Dec 6, 2024
Last action May 23, 2025
Maddy AI version diff · 1 comparison
What changed between versions
LC1433.pdf
→
SB0013_1.pdf
·
3 edits
MINOR
The bill was renumbered from LC 1433 to SB 13.1 and updated to reflect its introduction by Senator D. Emrich rather than a committee request. The document header was also changed from a generic 'Authorized Print Version' to include the specific bill number. These are administrative updates that identify the bill's current status and sponsor.
TECHNICAL
The bill number was changed from LC 1433 to SB 13.1, indicating it has moved from the Legislative Counsel's office to the Senate.
The sponsor line was updated to explicitly name D. Emrich as the introducer of the bill.
The footer text was updated to include the specific bill number 'SB 13' alongside the authorized print version label.
Floor votes · Senate Jan 24, 2025 · House Apr 10, 2025
How they voted
31–18
Passed · 1 other
Total votes 50
Jan 24, 2025
D
Democratic18
100% Nay
R
Republican32
96% Yea
Vote distribution
All Yea
All Nay
Mixed
No data
Full legislative history
Actions timeline
Total actions
29
Key actions
5
Committee
6
Apr 10, 2025
Vote failed
House Vote: fail (27-73)
house
Apr 4, 2025
Lower · Passed
(H) Committee Report - (H) Judiciary
lower
Apr 3, 2025
Lower · Passed
(H) Committee Executive Action - (H) Judiciary
lower
Jan 27, 2025
Committee
(H) Referred to Committee - (H) Judiciary
lower
Jan 24, 2025
Senate · Passed
Senate Vote: pass (31-18-1)
senate
Jan 22, 2025
Upper · Passed
(S) Committee Report - (S) Judiciary
upper
Jan 22, 2025
Upper · Passed
(S) Committee Executive Action - (S) Judiciary
upper
Jan 7, 2025
Committee
(S) Referred to Committee - (S) Judiciary
upper
Dec 6, 2024
Introduced
(S) Introduced
upper
1 primary · 0 co-sponsors
Sponsors
Role
Legislator
Party
State
District
P
Daniel Emrich
RRepublican
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