House Bill No. [insert bill number] proposes to reduce the number of associate justices on the Montana Supreme Court from six to four. This change is accomplished by amending Section 3-2-101 of the Montana Code Annotated (MCA), which outlines the composition of the Supreme Court. The bill specifies that the two associate justice positions to be eliminated are seat number 1 and seat number 2, with their terms running from January 2023 to January 2031. Consequently, there will be no elections for these positions in the general election scheduled for November 2030.

Additionally, the bill includes a saving clause to ensure that it does not affect any rights, duties, penalties, or proceedings that were established before its effective date. The act will take effect upon passage and approval, with the specific amendment regarding the number of justices becoming effective on the first Monday of January 2031.

Statutes affected:
LC Text: 3-2-101
HB0322_1(1): 3-2-101
HB0322_1(2): 3-2-101
HB0322_1(3): 3-2-101
HB0322_1(4): 3-2-101
HB0322_1(5): 3-2-101
HB0322_1(6): 3-2-101
HB0322_1: 3-2-101
HB0322_2(1): 3-2-101
HB0322_2(10): 3-2-101
HB0322_2(2): 3-2-101
HB0322_2(3): 3-2-101
HB0322_2(4): 3-2-101
HB0322_2(5): 3-2-101
HB0322_2(6): 3-2-101
HB0322_2(7): 3-2-101
HB0322_2(8): 3-2-101
HB0322_2(9): 3-2-101
HB0322_2: 3-2-101