This bill revises public record laws concerning the Supreme Court in Montana, emphasizing transparency in judicial deliberations. It mandates that all closed meetings of the Supreme Court, which involve judicial deliberations in adversarial proceedings, must be recorded electronically and accompanied by a written record. These records will be made available for public inspection once the case in question becomes final, with provisions for redacting confidential information. The bill also clarifies that a case is considered final after the time for any further review by the U.S. Supreme Court or any other court has expired.

Additionally, the bill amends existing laws to ensure that all meetings of public agencies, including the Supreme Court, are open to the public, with specific exceptions for individual privacy and litigation strategy discussions. It also updates definitions related to public records, including the inclusion of judicial deliberations of the Supreme Court as public records once a case is finalized. The effective date for these changes is set for October 1, 2025.

Statutes affected:
LC Text: 2-3-203, 2-3-212, 2-6-1002
SB0040_1(1): 2-3-203, 2-3-212, 2-6-1002
SB0040_1(2): 2-3-203, 2-3-212, 2-6-1002
SB0040_1(3): 2-3-203, 2-3-212, 2-6-1002
SB0040_1(4): 2-3-203, 2-3-212, 2-6-1002
SB0040_1(5): 2-3-203, 2-3-212, 2-6-1002
SB0040_1(6): 2-3-203, 2-3-212, 2-6-1002
SB0040_1(7): 2-3-203, 2-3-212, 2-6-1002
SB0040_1: 2-3-203, 2-3-212, 2-6-1002
SB0040_2(1): 2-3-203, 2-3-212, 2-6-1002
SB0040_2(10): 2-3-203, 2-3-212, 2-6-1002
SB0040_2(11): 2-3-203, 2-3-212, 2-6-1002
SB0040_2(12): 2-3-203, 2-3-212, 2-6-1002
SB0040_2(13): 2-3-203, 2-3-212, 2-6-1002
SB0040_2(2): 2-3-203, 2-3-212, 2-6-1002
SB0040_2(3): 2-3-203, 2-3-212, 2-6-1002
SB0040_2(4): 2-3-203, 2-3-212, 2-6-1002
SB0040_2(5): 2-3-203, 2-3-212, 2-6-1002
SB0040_2(6): 2-3-203, 2-3-212, 2-6-1002
SB0040_2(7): 2-3-203, 2-3-212, 2-6-1002
SB0040_2(8): 2-3-203, 2-3-212, 2-6-1002
SB0040_2(9): 2-3-203, 2-3-212, 2-6-1002
SB0040_2: 2-3-203, 2-3-212, 2-6-1002
SB0040_3(1): 2-3-203, 2-3-212, 2-6-1002
SB0040_3(2): 2-3-203, 2-3-212, 2-6-1002
SB0040_3(3): 2-3-203, 2-3-212, 2-6-1002
SB0040_3(4): 2-3-203, 2-3-212, 2-6-1002
SB0040_3(5): 2-3-203, 2-3-212, 2-6-1002
SB0040_3(6): 2-3-203, 2-3-212, 2-6-1002
SB0040_3: 2-3-203, 2-3-212, 2-6-1002
SB0040_4(1): 2-3-203, 2-3-212, 2-6-1002
SB0040_4(2): 2-3-203, 2-3-212, 2-6-1002
SB0040_4: 2-3-203, 2-3-212, 2-6-1002
SB0040_X(1): 2-3-203, 2-3-212, 2-6-1002
SB0040_X(2): 2-3-203, 2-3-212, 2-6-1002
SB0040_X(3): 2-3-203, 2-3-212, 2-6-1002
SB0040_X(4): 2-3-203, 2-3-212, 2-6-1002
SB0040_X(5): 2-3-203, 2-3-212, 2-6-1002
SB0040_X(6): 2-3-203, 2-3-212, 2-6-1002
SB0040_X: 2-3-203, 2-3-212, 2-6-1002