APRIL 17, 2025 -- Since 2006, Gavel to Gavel has tracked state-by-state legislative activity with potential impact on state courts.
Featured State: Montana
- House approves and sends to governor series ofSenate-approved bills to:
- Provide that the chief justice, not the Supreme Court, appoints the state court administrator;
- Providethat "a citizen has the right to make public the citizen's complaints concerning a judicial officer at any time"; and
- Requireconstitutional challenges to state laws to be filed in the judicial district of the state legislator that was the primary sponsor of the law being challenged.
- House rejects bills to:
- Allow supreme court justices to use partisan affiliations on the ballot;
- Provide that membership and paying dues to the State Bar of Montana is voluntary; and
- Reviselegal requirement of standing to maintain a lawsuit.
Jurisdiction
- ArkansasHouse and Senate approve bill to remove jurisdiction of trial courts to hear facial constitutional challenges and grants exclusive original jurisdiction to the Court of Appeals.
Salary and Budget
- New Mexico governor pocket vetoes changes to the state’s judicial retirement system.
Security
- MissouriHouse and Senate committees approve bills to increase protections for judge’s personally identifiable information and increase penalties for crimes against judges.
- Tennessee Senate approves bill to provide that a person commits a Class E felony offense when they harm or threaten to harm an individual involved in the judicial process or a family member of such person with the intent to impede, intimidate, interfere with, or retaliate against the individual in connection with the individual's participation in the judicial process, including judges and court staff.
Structure Changes
- Oklahoma House and Senate committees approve plans to expand business courts in the state.