CI-132: CONSTITUTIONAL INITIATIVE NO. 132

If you are reading this rebuttal, you are precisely the type of voter that CI-132 seeks to blindfold—an informed voter. The out-of-state special interests pushing CI-132 have spent over $2 million to lock you into a broken system. What are they trying to hide? They want to hide how these same special interest groups pour money into judicial campaigns.The false “non partisan” label hides this dark money from voters. The truth is that judges have political leanings. They are human after all. Judges don’t transcend ordinary existence and become blind to politics once they put on a black robe. If the out-of-state special interests truly want judges elected based on their record, they would want voters informed about a candidate’s entire record—which necessarily includes political leanings. Why do these out-of-state special interests want you to have less information? The “non partisan” label has not made our state supreme court more impartial. On the contrary, the Montana Supreme Court, among other defects, has been repeatedly identified as biased. Nor is it surprising that former judges and certain attorneys—who have perhaps benefitted from this broken system—would prefer that voters remain uninformed. Voters like you—who take the time to read about the candidates and issues—should think twice about supporting CI-132. Would you vote while wearing a blindfold? Or, would you prefer to make informed choices about judicial candidates? Vote “no” on CI-132 and let the sun shine in!

Montanans have selected fair and impartial judges in nonpartisan elections for over 90 years. That’s because we believe that judges should be elected based on their record and qualifications, not politics. Voting “yes” on CI-132 means Montana citizens can hold judges accountable to “we the people” instead of politics. Our country's founders knew that an independent judiciary was essential for a free republic. CI-132 helps keep our courts independent of the politics that dominate the other branches of government. Courts should be fair to everyone who stands before them, no matter what they're worth or who they know. But politics today runs on money, and we can't let that into our courtrooms. Justice shouldn't be for sale, and CI-132 helps keep money-driven politics out of our courts. As two retired District Court judges and a retired Dawson County Sheriff, we know Montana voters aren’t fools. There is no Republican or Democratic way to handle cases like child custody, employment, or property disputes - there’s only the law and the Constitution. Montana provides voters with an independent judicial performance report about every judicial candidate’s experience, courtroom conduct, and decisions. For generations, Montanans have cast their vote based on a judge's record and qualifications – why do opponents want to bring politics into our courts? Vote YES on CI-132 to: • Ensure judges are elected based on their record and qualifications. • Keep money-driven politics out of our courts. • Ensure Montanans can get a fair and impartial trial without worrying about politics.