Montana
Two tiers of justice at the Montana Supreme Court
“Equal justice under law” is such a foundational principle in our constitutional republic that the phrase is carved in stone above the entrance to the United States Supreme Court building in Washington, D.C.
Unfortunately, here in Montana, it appears that justice is not applied equally. In fact, at the Montana Supreme Court, there are two tiers of justice. There, justice is applied differently depending on the politics of the people in the courtroom.
Two court cases, one cited as precedent in the other, illustrate this so vividly that two of Montana’s seven justices pointed it out to their five colleagues even as they instituted this two-tiered system.
The first case is American Tradition Partnership v. Bullock, decided in 2012. In that case, a conservative political group challenged campaign finance regulations that were obviously unconstitutional under the First Amendment per a prior U.S. Supreme Court decision. In ATP v. Bullock, the U.S Supreme Court flatly rejected former Attorney General Steve Bullock’s arguments in a decision that only took a single paragraph to explain.
After winning decisively on a fundamental First Amendment issue, ATP asked the Montana Supreme Court to award them legal fees. The Montana Supreme Court declined, writing that awarding fees against Bullock wasn’t justified because it was a “garden variety” constitutional case.
The second case is Forward Montana v. State of Montana, decided earlier this year. In that case, liberal special interest groups won a case against the Legislature in district court that centered on legislative process rather than any particular policy. The district court declined to award the liberal attorneys (both of whom are former Bullock staffers) attorney fees, citing the same “garden variety” standard present in the 2012 WTP v. Bullock case.
But then, in a 5-2 decision, the Montana Supreme Court reversed the district court and ruled that the liberal attorneys are owed fees. Justice Jim Rice wrote the dissenting opinion, arguing that fees should not be awarded in the Forward Montana case since they were not awarded in ATP v. Bullock, especially since ATP involved issues of much greater public interest and constitutional importance.
“Justice demands that all parties receive equal treatment,” Rice wrote. Justice Dirk Sandefur joined Rice in dissent.
Rather than listen to Justice Rice, Justices Mike McGrath, Laurie McKinnon, James Shea, Beth Baker and Ingrid Gustafson established two tiers of justice at the Montana Supreme Court:
1. If you’re a conservative challenging the government on a fundamental constitutional matter, the costs of doing so are your own to bear.
2. If you’re a liberal challenging the government, even on an issue with lesser constitutional significance, the Court will award you taxpayer money for your efforts.
Such naked partisanship and disregard for “equal justice under law” is not befitting of the highest court in the state of Montana.
Sen. Greg Hertz, R-Polson, chaired the 2021 Legislature’s select committee on judicial accountability.
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GREAT FALLS — For Staff Sgt. Brianna St. Lawrence-Brody, service does not only happen in uniform.
Outside the gates of the base, she works at Benefis as a nurse, Great Falls Public Schools as a school nurse, and comes home as a wife and mom of four. For the Montana Air National Guard, she serves as a command post controller with the 120th Airlift Wing in Great Falls.
(WATCH: Montana nurse and Guard member earns national Air Force recognition)
Montana nurse and Guard member earns national Air Force recognition
This year, St. Lawrence-Brody was named the U.S. Air National Guard’s Outstanding Airman of the Year in the Non-Commissioned Officer category.
She said the recognition came as a surprise, especially because her path into the Guard started later than others.
“I joined very late in life,” St. Lawrence-Brody said. “I joined the Guard right before I turned 40. So for me, every opportunity that’s presented, I want to take the bull by the horns and just run with it and do the best of my ability.”
During the COVID-19 pandemic, she joined the Guard after finishing nursing school. She said she went straight from nursing school into helping open a COVID unit, while also working at Benefis.
She said that experience was the start of one journey, but not the whole of what she wanted to accomplish.
St. Lawrence-Brody joined the Guard for the opportunities, the challenge and to help build a future for her four children.
“It’s a little bit of a competition for myself,” she said. “Like, if I can do it, why not try my best to achieve it?”
120th Airlift Wing Public Affairs
As a command post controller, she assists in helping move information during emergencies and major events.
“Outside, obviously, I’m a nurse. Inside the Guard, I have nothing to do with the medical field, which is kind of amazing,” St. Lawrence-Brody said. “It keeps me on my toes.”
She explained balancing the Guard, two civilian jobs and four children takes support from her family, her employers and her unit. She said Benefis and GFPS have been supportive of her military service.
Her nomination included her deployment experience, training work overseas and involvement across the wing. St. Lawrence-Brody said she deployed to Ramstein Air Base in Germany, where she worked with an operations center supporting entities connected to Africa.
But, she says this recognition is not the finish line.
“This award, it’s not necessarily a landing pad for me,” St. Lawrence-Brody said. “I want to use it as a springboard.”
120th Airlift Wing Public Affairs
St. Lawrence-Brody hopes her story encourages others to keep taking on new opportunities, even when they feel uncertain.
“Get comfortable with being uncomfortable and be okay with doing things afraid,” she said. “I think when you get to be okay with doing things afraid, that’s where you’re going to find the growth.”
She has already won at the Air National Guard level, but she recently traveled to Washington, D.C., as part of the broader Air Force Outstanding Airman of the Year process, which includes nominees from the Guard, Reserve and major commands across the Air Force.
The Montana Lottery offers multiple draw games for those aiming to win big.
Here’s a look at June 27, 2026, results for each game:
Winning Powerball numbers from June 27 drawing
03-16-28-30-59, Powerball: 11, Power Play: 2
Check Powerball payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Lotto America numbers from June 27 drawing
03-08-18-22-39, Star Ball: 06, ASB: 02
Check Lotto America payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Big Sky Bonus numbers from June 27 drawing
05-16-19-27, Bonus: 08
Check Big Sky Bonus payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Powerball Double Play numbers from June 27 drawing
02-26-34-43-45, Powerball: 15
Check Powerball Double Play payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Montana Cash numbers from June 27 drawing
05-09-10-15-35
Check Montana Cash payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Millionaire for Life numbers from June 27 drawing
26-32-38-51-52, Bonus: 05
Check Millionaire for Life payouts and previous drawings here.
Feeling lucky? Explore the latest lottery news & results
When are the Montana Lottery drawings held?
- Powerball: 8:59 p.m. MT on Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday.
- Mega Millions: 9 p.m. MT on Tuesday and Friday.
- Lucky For Life: 8:38 p.m. MT daily.
- Lotto America: 9 p.m. MT on Monday, Wednesday and Saturday.
- Big Sky Bonus: 7:30 p.m. MT daily.
- Powerball Double Play: 8:59 p.m. MT on Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday.
- Montana Cash: 8 p.m. MT on Wednesday and Saturday.
- Millionaire for Life: 9:15 p.m. MT daily.
Missed a draw? Peek at the past week’s winning numbers.
This results page was generated automatically using information from TinBu and a template written and reviewed by a Great Falls Tribune editor. You can send feedback using this form.
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