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 allocated to the Department of Justice and is required to conduct evaluations that include midterm and preelection assessments. The evaluations will utilize various sources, such as judicial performance surveys, courtroom observations, and public comments. The commission will also have the authority to adopt rules for implementing these evaluations and will provide recommendations regarding the program's budget and potential expansion.

Key changes in the bill include the requirement for the Secretary of State to include judicial evaluation information in the voter information pamphlet, which will now feature summaries of judges' most recent performance evaluations alongside statewide ballot issues. The membership structure of the commission has been modified, reducing the number of members appointed by legislative leaders and the governor while increasing the total number of members. Additionally, the bill introduces new definitions related to bias and impartiality and mandates that judges can appear before the commission to discuss their evaluations. A one-time appropriation of $500,000 is allocated for the fiscal years 2025 and 2026 to support the implementation of the act, which 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