Montana § 3-1-1706 - Publication Of Judicial Performance Reports

§ 3-1-1706. Publication Of Judicial Performance Reports

(Temporary) Publication of judicial performance reports. (1) (a) The commission shall provide each judge with the judge's reports in a timely manner. If a report is based on a final evaluation, it must be provided at least 45 days before the last day on which the judge may file a declaration of the judge's candidacy in the next election. (b) Each report, together with the information collected for the report, must remain confidential unless the judge who is the subject of the report files a declaration of candidacy in the ensuing election. In that event, the report becomes public record on the day following the last day on which the judge may file a declaration of candidacy. (2) The report must include: (a) a summary of the results of the judicial performance survey and tabulations of the responses to each question; (b) information concerning any public discipline that a judge has received and is not subject to restrictions on disclosure under Title 3, chapter 1, part 11; (c) a narrative describing the judge's performance with, at the option of the commission, an overall score on a numerical scale from one to five; (d) at the option of the judge evaluated, a written statement not to exceed 200 words submitted by the judge within 15 days of receiving a copy of the report; and (e) any other information the commission considers necessary to include in the report. (3) The report may not refer to information from a judge's earlier judicial performance report. (4) The commission shall make each report publicly available on the internet. (5) The commission shall provide the court administrator with each report that becomes public record. (Terminates June 30, 2035--sec. 14, Ch. 765, L. 2025.)