James Brown: Bring balance back to the Montana Supreme Court

I additionally function the President of the Montana Public Service Fee (PSC), the place I oversee 31 state staff and handle a funds of roughly $4.8 million. On this capability, I contemplate and rule on authorized instances in the identical method as a District Court docket Choose does. I’ll carry this various authorized and administration expertise to the job on day one.

I’m working for the Montana Supreme Court docket as a result of I’ve a deep love for Montana and search to have a judiciary that each protects the rights of Montana residents and respects the separation of presidency powers referred to as for within the Montana Structure.

Now we have seen unprecedented assaults on legislation enforcement and on first responders, on parental rights, on particular person liberty, on the Second Modification, and on small companies. Montanans are vastly involved about judges utilizing their positions to make coverage choices. Underneath the state Structure, lawmaking is left to the individuals and to their elected representatives. Thomas Jefferson expressly acknowledged the hazard to the fragile system of presidency checks and balances that may be induced when judges can form the legislation into any kind they please. That’s why we should restore stability to the Montana Supreme Court docket.

My judicial philosophy is one in all being a strict constructionist, which means that I view my position as a Justice to be one which merely applies the details of any given case to the legislation and structure as written — and by no means legislates from the bench. Distinction my philosophy with my opponent’s liberal judicial file.

In its 2020-21 judicial assessment scorecard, the Montana Chamber of Commerce gave my opponent a “F Score” on the subject of defending Montana jobs and small companies. That’s an incomprehensible grade and was the bottom rating of any Justice on the Supreme Court docket.

My opponent has been routinely criticized for making legislation from the bench, together with by her personal colleagues. My opponent has a fame among the many legislation enforcement group for being comfortable on crime and pro-criminal. It was her vote that overturned an 80-year jail sentence of a convicted felon based mostly on a technicality and she or he additionally overturned the conviction of a kid intercourse abuser.

Lastly, she’s typically keen on “condemning” politics within the courtroom. However behind closed doorways she shares a powerful allegiance with liberal particular curiosity teams. She holds marketing campaign occasions with former Democrat Governor Steve Bullock and former Democrat U.S. Senator Max Baucus and gladly accepts massive contributions from out of state liberal donors who additionally supported Joe Biden and Hillary Clinton. She claims to be ‘impartial’ however she is overtly backed by liberal trial legal professionals who’re spending over a half million {dollars} to affect the result of this race. And, extra problematic for judicial independence, these trial legal professionals commonly seem earlier than her in Court docket once they’ve donated to her marketing campaign.

The reality is, the Montana Supreme Court docket can and have to be higher. Montanans deserve a Justice who won’t use the courtroom to advance private agendas. I humbly ask in your vote this election as a result of I’m devoted to restoring the Court docket to a physique that merely applies the legislation as written. And, as your subsequent Justice, I’ll work every day to revive stability and accountability to the judicial department and to all the time shield our Montana lifestyle.