LTE: Let's keep Montanan's judicial elections nonpartisan

I’ve had the opportunity to work in a number of countries where people were trying to figure out exactly what justice and democracy meant because they were experiencing them for the first time. Some of the phrases I heard used to describe the American justice system were: “Justice is blind,” “Equal justice under the law,” and “Justice is impartial.” Embedded in these phrases is the principle that judges are obligated to apply the law in an impartial manner. That’s why I support CI-132 to ensure Montana’s judicial elections, that have been non-partisan for 90 years, stay that way.

A judge’s sworn responsibility is to uphold our Montana Constitution and administer justice based on the law. A judge does not make decisions based on personal preferences or on what an elected official or political party tells them to do. To help safeguard this, judges should continue to be elected based on their records and qualifications, not politics.

Constitutional Initiative 132 proposes a one-sentence addition to the Montana Constitution that ensures judicial elections in Montana remain nonpartisan. More than 100,000 Montanans from every county signed the petition to get this initiative on the ballot.

Montanans know that we must keep the power over our courts in our hands and ensure our judges are fair, unbiased, and accountable to us. Vote YES on CI-132 to ensure our judicial elections remain nonpartisan, our judges stay impartial, and politics stay out of our courts.

Debra Wahlberg

Bozeman

Originally published in The Bozeman Daily Chronicle on 9/21/26