Single Nonpartisan Court Ballot Initiative To Move Forward

The two groups that sought to enshrine nonpartisan court races are now united behind a single ballot initiative, CI-132, put forward by Montanans for Nonpartisan Courts.

The ballot initiative was one of two nearly identical constitutional initiatives launched to counter a push by Republican leadership, including Gov. Greg Gianforte, throughout the 2025 Legislature to make changes to the state’s judicial system, including allowing judges to run with partisan affiliation.

According to a Thursday, Jan. 8, press release, Montanans for Fair and Impartial Judges, the group started by Ted Dick and Pepper Peterson that sponsored CI-131, announced their endorsement of CI-132.

The consolidation “signals a united effort to protect Montana voters’ 90-year right to nonpartisan judicial elections,” Dick said in a press release. “Montanans for Fair and Impartial Judges believes Montanans for Nonpartisan Courts has a strong policy and the resources to ensure the initiative qualifies for the ballot, which is why we have chosen to formally endorse CI-132.”

Dick has formally requested to withdraw CI-131 with the Montana Secretary of State.

Montanans for Nonpartisan Courts is a coalition comprising multiple advocacy groups throughout the state including Montana Federation of Public Employees, Big Sky 55+, ACLU of Montana, Forward Montana and Catalyst Montanan.

The group gained endorsements from retired Montana Supreme Court Justices Mike McGrath and Pat Cotter, and lists more than 1,000 individual supporters on its website.

The text of CI-132 proposes to amend Article VII of the state’s Constitution by adding “Section 12. Nonpartisan Judicial Elections. Judicial elections shall remain nonpartisan.”

“We know that Montanans want to protect their right to judicial elections free from the influence of political parties and politicians,” Caitie Butler, spokesperson for Montanans for Nonpartisan Courts, said in a statement. “We are proud to stand with those who have endorsed CI131 and CI-132 and begin the work of qualifying this critical initiative for the November ballot.”

The process to get the ballot initiative before voters has already hit some bumps, including a brief legal challenge against Attorney General Austin Knudsen, whose office initially approved the ballot measure as legally sufficient, but rewrote the language of the proposed ballot statement, arguing it did not inform voters what “nonpartisan” meant. Montanans for Nonpartisan Courts appealed to the Montana Supreme Court, which rejected the AG’s language with the majority saying it injected politics into a “straightforward proposition.”

Montanans for Nonpartisan Courts launched signature gathering efforts for CI-132 in December and will spend the next five months talking with voters across the state about the importance of nonpartisan judicial elections.