The bill establishes a Montana Judicial Performance Evaluation System, creating a Judicial Performance Evaluation Commission responsible for evaluating district court judges and supreme court justices. This commission will be administratively attached to the Department of Justice and is mandated to conduct evaluations, including midterm and preelection assessments, starting in 2026. The evaluations will utilize various factors such as survey results, courtroom observations, and public comments. Key changes include the requirement for the Secretary of State to include judicial evaluation information in the voter information pamphlet, rather than just publishing it, and modifications to the commission's membership structure, which reduces the number of members appointed by legislative leaders while increasing the total number of members.

Additionally, the bill updates definitions of bias and impartiality to better reflect judicial conduct and outlines the confidentiality of evaluation reports until a judge files for candidacy, at which point the reports become public records. It also specifies the process for printing and distributing voter information pamphlets, ensuring they include details about judicial evaluations. The bill includes provisions for the appointment of commission members, reporting requirements to legislative committees, and allocates a one-time appropriation of $500,000 for implementation in the upcoming fiscal years. The act is set to terminate on June 30, 2035.

Statutes affected:
LC Text: 3-1-1124, 13-13-214, 13-27-401, 13-27-410
SB0045_1(1): 3-1-1124, 13-13-214, 13-27-401, 13-27-410
SB0045_1(10): 3-1-1124, 13-13-214, 13-27-401, 13-27-410
SB0045_1(11): 3-1-1124, 13-13-214, 13-27-401, 13-27-410
SB0045_1(12): 3-1-1124, 13-13-214, 13-27-401, 13-27-410
SB0045_1(13): 3-1-1124, 13-13-214, 13-27-401, 13-27-410
SB0045_1(14): 3-1-1124, 13-13-214, 13-27-401, 13-27-410
SB0045_1(15): 3-1-1124, 13-13-214, 13-27-401, 13-27-410
SB0045_1(2): 3-1-1124, 13-13-214, 13-27-401, 13-27-410
SB0045_1(3): 3-1-1124, 13-13-214, 13-27-401, 13-27-410
SB0045_1(4): 3-1-1124, 13-13-214, 13-27-401, 13-27-410
SB0045_1(5): 3-1-1124, 13-13-214, 13-27-401, 13-27-410
SB0045_1(6): 3-1-1124, 13-13-214, 13-27-401, 13-27-410
SB0045_1(7): 3-1-1124, 13-13-214, 13-27-401, 13-27-410
SB0045_1(8): 3-1-1124, 13-13-214, 13-27-401, 13-27-410
SB0045_1(9): 3-1-1124, 13-13-214, 13-27-401, 13-27-410
SB0045_1: 3-1-1124, 13-13-214, 13-27-401, 13-27-410
SB0045_2(1): 3-1-1124, 13-13-214, 13-27-401, 13-27-410
SB0045_2(10): 3-1-1124, 13-13-214, 13-27-401, 13-27-410
SB0045_2(11): 3-1-1124, 13-13-214, 13-27-401, 13-27-410
SB0045_2(12): 3-1-1124, 13-13-214, 13-27-401, 13-27-410
SB0045_2(13): 3-1-1124, 13-13-214, 13-27-401, 13-27-410
SB0045_2(14): 3-1-1124, 13-13-214, 13-27-401, 13-27-410
SB0045_2(15): 3-1-1124, 13-13-214, 13-27-401, 13-27-410
SB0045_2(16): 3-1-1124, 13-13-214, 13-27-401, 13-27-410
SB0045_2(17): 3-1-1124, 13-13-214, 13-27-401, 13-27-410
SB0045_2(18): 3-1-1124, 13-13-214, 13-27-401, 13-27-410
SB0045_2(2): 3-1-1124, 13-13-214, 13-27-401, 13-27-410
SB0045_2(3): 3-1-1124, 13-13-214, 13-27-401, 13-27-410
SB0045_2(4): 3-1-1124, 13-13-214, 13-27-401, 13-27-410
SB0045_2(5): 3-1-1124, 13-13-214, 13-27-401, 13-27-410
SB0045_2(6): 3-1-1124, 13-13-214, 13-27-401, 13-27-410
SB0045_2(7): 3-1-1124, 13-13-214, 13-27-401, 13-27-410
SB0045_2(8): 3-1-1124, 13-13-214, 13-27-401, 13-27-410
SB0045_2(9): 3-1-1124, 13-13-214, 13-27-401, 13-27-410
SB0045_2: 3-1-1124, 13-13-214, 13-27-401, 13-27-410
SB0045_3(1): 3-1-1124, 13-13-214, 13-27-401, 13-27-410
SB0045_3(2): 3-1-1124, 13-13-214, 13-27-401, 13-27-410
SB0045_3(3): 3-1-1124, 13-13-214, 13-27-401, 13-27-410
SB0045_3(4): 3-1-1124, 13-13-214, 13-27-401, 13-27-410
SB0045_3(5): 3-1-1124, 13-13-214, 13-27-401, 13-27-410
SB0045_3(6): 3-1-1124, 13-13-214, 13-27-401, 13-27-410
SB0045_3(7): 3-1-1124, 13-13-214, 13-27-401, 13-27-410
SB0045_3(8): 3-1-1124, 13-13-214, 13-27-401, 13-27-410
SB0045_3(9): 3-1-1124, 13-13-214, 13-27-401, 13-27-410
SB0045_3: 3-1-1124, 13-13-214, 13-27-401, 13-27-410
SB0045_4(1): 3-1-1124, 13-13-214, 13-27-401, 13-27-410
SB0045_4(10): 3-1-1124, 13-13-214, 13-27-401, 13-27-410
SB0045_4(11): 3-1-1124, 13-13-214, 13-27-401, 13-27-410
SB0045_4(12): 3-1-1124, 13-13-214, 13-27-401, 13-27-410
SB0045_4(13): 3-1-1124, 13-13-214, 13-27-401, 13-27-410
SB0045_4(2): 3-1-1124, 13-13-214, 13-27-401, 13-27-410
SB0045_4(3): 3-1-1124, 13-13-214, 13-27-401, 13-27-410
SB0045_4(4): 3-1-1124, 13-13-214, 13-27-401, 13-27-410
SB0045_4(5): 3-1-1124, 13-13-214, 13-27-401, 13-27-410
SB0045_4(6): 3-1-1124, 13-13-214, 13-27-401, 13-27-410
SB0045_4(7): 3-1-1124, 13-13-214, 13-27-401, 13-27-410
SB0045_4(8): 3-1-1124, 13-13-214, 13-27-401, 13-27-410
SB0045_4(9): 3-1-1124, 13-13-214, 13-27-401, 13-27-410
SB0045_4: 3-1-1124, 13-13-214, 13-27-401, 13-27-410
SB0045_5(1): 3-1-1124, 13-13-214, 13-27-401, 13-27-410
SB0045_5(2): 3-1-1124, 13-13-214, 13-27-401, 13-27-410
SB0045_5(3): 3-1-1124, 13-13-214, 13-27-401, 13-27-410
SB0045_5(4): 3-1-1124, 13-13-214, 13-27-401, 13-27-410
SB0045_5(5): 3-1-1124, 13-13-214, 13-27-401, 13-27-410
SB0045_5(6): 3-1-1124, 13-13-214, 13-27-401, 13-27-410
SB0045_5(7): 3-1-1124, 13-13-214, 13-27-401, 13-27-410
SB0045_5: 3-1-1124, 13-13-214, 13-27-401, 13-27-410
SB0045_7: 3-1-1124, 13-13-214, 13-27-401, 13-27-410
SB0045_X(1): 3-1-1124, 13-13-214, 13-27-401, 13-27-410
SB0045_X(10): 3-1-1124, 13-13-214, 13-27-401, 13-27-410
SB0045_X(11): 3-1-1124, 13-13-214, 13-27-401, 13-27-410
SB0045_X(12): 3-1-1124, 13-13-214, 13-27-401, 13-27-410
SB0045_X(13): 3-1-1124, 13-13-214, 13-27-401, 13-27-410
SB0045_X(14): 3-1-1124, 13-13-214, 13-27-401, 13-27-410
SB0045_X(15): 3-1-1124, 13-13-214, 13-27-401, 13-27-410
SB0045_X(16): 3-1-1124, 13-13-214, 13-27-401, 13-27-410
SB0045_X(17): 3-1-1124, 13-13-214, 13-27-401, 13-27-410
SB0045_X(18): 3-1-1124, 13-13-214, 13-27-401, 13-27-410
SB0045_X(19): 3-1-1124, 13-13-214, 13-27-401, 13-27-410
SB0045_X(2): 3-1-1124, 13-13-214, 13-27-401, 13-27-410
SB0045_X(20): 3-1-1124
SB0045_X(21): 3-1-1124
SB0045_X(22): 3-1-1124
SB0045_X(23): 3-1-1124
SB0045_X(24): 3-1-1124
SB0045_X(25): 3-1-1124
SB0045_X(26): 3-1-1124
SB0045_X(27): 3-1-1124
SB0045_X(28): 3-1-1124
SB0045_X(29): 3-1-1124
SB0045_X(3): 3-1-1124, 13-13-214, 13-27-401, 13-27-410
SB0045_X(30): 3-1-1124
SB0045_X(31): 3-1-1124
SB0045_X(32): 3-1-1124
SB0045_X(33): 3-1-1124
SB0045_X(34): 3-1-1124
SB0045_X(35): 3-1-1124
SB0045_X(36): 3-1-1124
SB0045_X(37): 3-1-1124
SB0045_X(4): 3-1-1124, 13-13-214, 13-27-401, 13-27-410
SB0045_X(5): 3-1-1124, 13-13-214, 13-27-401, 13-27-410
SB0045_X(6): 3-1-1124, 13-13-214, 13-27-401, 13-27-410
SB0045_X(7): 3-1-1124, 13-13-214, 13-27-401, 13-27-410
SB0045_X(8): 3-1-1124, 13-13-214, 13-27-401, 13-27-410
SB0045_X(9): 3-1-1124, 13-13-214, 13-27-401, 13-27-410
SB0045_X: 3-1-1124, 13-13-214, 13-27-401, 13-27-410