Nonpartisan state Supreme Court elections are being put to the test in Montana

Montana voters this November will decide whether to write nonpartisan judicial elections into the state constitution, while also choosing a Supreme Court justice in a race with clear partisan backing. The amendment reached the ballot through citizen petitions after Republican lawmakers, irritated by court decisions on abortion, voting and climate change, tried to make the contests partisan. A bill to do so cleared the Senate but died in the House, though a new law now permits parties to donate to judicial candidates, according to ABC News.

Voters will pick between Judge Amy Eddy and Judge Dan Wilson of Flathead County, a rematch of a June primary Eddy won by under 8,000 of about 270,000 votes. Eddy, who joined a ruling that abortion limits violated privacy rights, is backed by the ACLU and Defend Our Courts and declines party money. Wilson has received money from Republican Party committees. The ACLU has put $2.1 million into the amendment campaign and is spending $5.5 million across court races in Michigan, Montana and North Carolina.

In August, Kansas voters rejected a Republican-backed plan to elect justices.

Summarized by PolitiKool from ABC News’s reporting. Read the full story at ABC News →