Another lawsuit challenges amended Montana campaign bill

HELENA, Mont. (AP) — Another lawsuit has been filed to challenge a new law that bans voter registration and get-out-the-vote efforts on college campuses in Montana and also requires judges to recuse themselves from cases if they have received campaign donations from anyone involved in the case.

Forward Montana, The Montana Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, Lewis and Clark County Attorney Leo Gallagher and other attorneys filed the complaint Tuesday against the state of Montana in District Court in Helena.

It asks District Judge Michael McMahon to declare the law unconstitutional and seeks an order to block the state from enforcing it.

Montana’s Constitution requires that bills contain only a single subject and prevents the Legislature from amending laws so much during the process that they change their original purpose.

The plaintiffs argue a campaign finance bill to allow groups of candidates to create joint fundraising committees was hijacked in the final hours of the legislative session. They say it was amended without public comment to require judges to recuse themselves from cases if an attorney or other party involved in a case before them had donated, directly or indirectly, to the judge's election campaign.

“If the provision takes effect on July 1, it will cause chaos in the judiciary by forcing the removal of judges from hundreds of pending cases in Montana,” the plaintiffs said in a statement.

The legislation violates attorneys' First Amendment rights to make campaign donations, the complaint states.

The bill was also changed during a conference committee meeting to make it more difficult for a civic leadership group at the University of Montana to receive funding. It made a $5-per-semester fee opt-in instead of opt-out and also banned voter...