LTE: CI-132 would ensure nonpartisan judicial elections

Montanans should vote yes on CI-132. One of the things I like about CI-132 is that it continues to make records and qualifications the focus of judicial elections rather than a certain political agenda. We’ve been electing judges in nonpartisan elections for 90 years.

Most Montanans will interact with judges in their local city or justice courts, and they decide everything from traffic tickets to property disputes. Mixing politics with these cases will hurt us Montanans who just want a fair and impartial hearing without worrying about the politics of their judge.

CI-132 adds just one new section to the Montana Constitution: “Judicial elections shall remain nonpartisan.” You can read how simple it is in the recently mailed Voter Information Pamphlet. Not only is the policy simple, but its impact is as well. Montana voters can continue to choose a judge based on qualifications and records, not politics. Let’s keep politics out of our courtrooms and vote yes on CI-132.

Sue Johnson

Billings

Originally published in The Billings Gazette on 10/12/2026