Frequently Asked Questions

WHAT IS CI-132?

Constitutional Initiative 132 (CI-132) is a citizen initiative that keeps our courts impartial by ensuring Montana’s judicial elections stay nonpartisan. It adds just one sentence to the Montana Constitution: “Judicial elections shall remain nonpartisan.” Montanans believe judges should be elected based on their records and qualifications, not politics. That’s why we need CI-132: so we can protect Montana’s 90-year history of nonpartisan judicial elections that keep politics and the money it runs on out of our courts.

Why do we need CI-132?

We need CI-132 because most Montanans interact with judges in family, traffic, civil, and criminal courts, which decide everything from child custody to employment and property disputes. There is no Republican or Democratic way to handle these cases - there’s only the law. Mixing politics with these cases will hurt Montanans who just want a fair and impartial hearing without worrying about politics.

Unfortunately, politicians in Helena recently passed HB39, a law allowing political parties to make financial contributions of nearly $90,000 to Montana judges. That’s a dangerous step toward making judges cater to political parties. We need to protect independent courts and keep them accountable to the Constitution, not political parties and their money.

Who is BEHIND CI-132?

The Montanans behind CI-132 include nine retired members of the Montana Supreme Court and dozens of Republican legal experts, retired sheriffs, and criminal prosecutors are backing CI-132. They have seen firsthand the importance of giving people a fair hearing and keeping politics out of our courtrooms. Another 2,500 individual Montanans along with 15 in-state groups representing one in six Montanans have endorsed CI-132.

How does CI-132 change how judges are elected in Montana?

CI-132 does not change how judges are elected in Montana but instead defends Montana’s long tradition of impartial courts. Montana first started electing judges in nonpartisan elections in 1935, in response to Montana's powerful Copper Kings who were buying judges to rule in their favor. This simple measure protects that long-standing tradition so we can keep judges accountable to the people’s interests, not deep-pocketed political interests.

Our country's founders knew that an independent judiciary was essential for a free republic. This is what we fought for, and we continue that fight today by protecting Montana's nonpartisan courts with CI-132.

How Should I Vote on CI-132?

Montanans who care about keeping politics out of our courts should vote yes on CI-132. Courts are supposed to be fair to everyone no matter what they’re worth or who they know, and CI-132 helps keep money-driven politics out of our courts. If you believe judges should be elected based on their records and qualifications and not politics, you should vote yes on CI-132.

What steps did Montanans for Nonpartisan Courts take to qualify CI-132 for the ballot?

MNC took several steps to qualify CI-132 for the ballot, first submitting our initiative on August 18, 2025. The initiative spent three months working through the government review process, including winning a case challenging Montana Attorney General Austin Knudsen’s politically biased ballot language rewrite at the Montana Supreme Court, getting approval to gather signatures in late November 2025. Montanans for Nonpartisan Courts, alongside over 200 volunteers, gathered over 103,000 signatures by the June 19, 2026 deadline.