Montana Case Commentaries

Montana Supreme Court Authorizes Community Justice Workers to Provide Limited Legal Services in Justice and City Courts

Date: Oct 2, 2025

Montana Supreme Court Authorizes Community Justice Workers to Provide Limited Legal Services in Justice and City Courts Introduction In administrative docket AF 11-0765, the Supreme Court of Montana...

Plain-View Hazards on Icy Roads: Comparative Negligence for the Jury; No Default Spoliation for Pre‑Notice Telematics Loss

Date: Oct 1, 2025

Plain-View Hazards on Icy Roads: Comparative Negligence for the Jury; No Default Spoliation for Pre‑Notice Telematics Loss Introduction In Fahrnow v. E-5 Oilfield Services, 2025 MT 220, the Montana...

Street-Time Credit Cannot Be Denied for Restitution Nonpayment Without a DOC-Set Payment Schedule and Specific, Recorded Violations: State v. Powell (2025 MT 218)

Date: Oct 1, 2025

Street-Time Credit Cannot Be Denied for Restitution Nonpayment Without a DOC-Set Payment Schedule and Specific, Recorded Violations Commentary on State v. Powell, 2025 MT 218 (Mont. Sept. 30, 2025)...

Richeson and the Limits of Plain-Error Review: Highlighting Unrebutted Expert Evidence Is Not Burden Shifting; Record‑Silent IAC Claims Belong in Postconviction Proceedings

Date: Oct 1, 2025

Richeson and the Limits of Plain-Error Review: Highlighting Unrebutted Expert Evidence Is Not Burden Shifting; Record‑Silent IAC Claims Belong in Postconviction Proceedings Case: State v. L....

Established Facts, Not Volume: Jackson v. State Clarifies Montana’s § 46‑21‑104(1)(c) Threshold for Ineffective-Assistance Postconviction Petitions and Expert-Witness Claims

Date: Oct 1, 2025

Established Facts, Not Volume: Jackson v. State Clarifies Montana’s § 46‑21‑104(1)(c) Threshold for Ineffective-Assistance Postconviction Petitions and Expert-Witness Claims Court: Supreme Court of...

Reaffirming Montana’s Ariegwe Speedy‑Trial Framework: Defendant‑Caused Continuances Control the Balance; Evidence‑Anchored “Guilt” Statements in Closing Are Not Plain Error

Date: Oct 1, 2025

Reaffirming Montana’s Ariegwe Speedy‑Trial Framework: Defendant‑Caused Continuances Control the Balance; Evidence‑Anchored “Guilt” Statements in Closing Are Not Plain Error Introduction This...

No Second Bite at the Apple under Montana’s MHRA: Exclusive Administrative Pathways, Strict 30/90-Day Deadlines, and Mailing Suffices for Due-Process Notice

Date: Oct 1, 2025

No Second Bite at the Apple under Montana’s MHRA: Exclusive Administrative Pathways, Strict 30/90-Day Deadlines, and Mailing Suffices for Due-Process Notice Note: The Montana Supreme Court designated...

Reverse Adverse Possession of Ditch Easements Requires Uniform, Conspicuous Exclusion; “Prevailing Party” Fees Under § 70‑17‑112, MCA, Turn on Statutory Claims Alone

Date: Oct 1, 2025

Reverse Adverse Possession of Ditch Easements Requires Uniform, Conspicuous Exclusion; “Prevailing Party” Fees Under § 70‑17‑112, MCA, Turn on Statutory Claims Alone Introduction In Apecella v....

Clarifying Brady’s “Reasonable Probability” Standard and the Use of Supervisory Control to Prevent a Second Trial Under a Mistake of Law

Date: Sep 25, 2025

Clarifying Brady’s “Reasonable Probability” Standard and the Use of Supervisory Control to Prevent a Second Trial Under a Mistake of Law Introduction This supervisory-control proceeding arises from a...

Supervised Visitation Conditioned on Rehabilitation Programs Upheld Under Best-Interest Review in Nonprecedential Memorandum Decision

Date: Sep 25, 2025

Supervised Visitation Conditioned on Rehabilitation Programs Upheld Under Best-Interest Review in Nonprecedential Memorandum Decision Case: In re the Parenting of J.E.B. & B.L.B., 2025 MT 216N (Mont....

State v. Post: Montana Supreme Court Requires On-the-Record Ability-to-Pay Findings for Criminal Fines and Surcharges; Oral Pronouncement Controls Over Written Judgment

Date: Sep 25, 2025

State v. Post: Mandatory Ability-to-Pay Findings for Fines, Fees, and Surcharges; Oral Sentence Controls Introduction In State v. Post, 2025 MT 215 (Mont. Sept. 23, 2025), the Montana Supreme Court...

Exhaust-Local-Then-Random: Montana’s New Contiguous-Pool Protocol for Assigning Substituted District Judges Under SB 41

Date: Sep 13, 2025

Exhaust-Local-Then-Random: Montana’s New Contiguous-Pool Protocol for Assigning Substituted District Judges Under SB 41 Introduction In AF 09-0289, the Supreme Court of Montana announced a revised...

No “Private Areas” Exception: Montana Supreme Court Reaffirms That Probation Home Visits—Including Bedroom Walkthroughs—Are Not Searches

Date: Sep 10, 2025

No “Private Areas” Exception: Montana Supreme Court Reaffirms That Probation Home Visits—Including Bedroom Walkthroughs—Are Not Searches Case: State v. Manyhides, 2025 MT 204 (Mont. Sept. 9, 2025)...

Implied Consent Opens the Door: Montana Supreme Court Affirms Post‑Trial Amendment and Third‑Party Parental Interest Under § 40‑4‑228, MCA (Marriage of Rehbein & Paddock, 2025 MT 201)

Date: Sep 10, 2025

Implied Consent Opens the Door: Montana Supreme Court Affirms Post‑Trial Amendment and Third‑Party Parental Interest Under § 40‑4‑228, MCA Case: In re the Marriage of Rehbein and Paddock (2025 MT...

No Amendment After Final Adjudication: Montana’s Strict Bar on Successive Post‑Conviction Petitions and the Narrow Actual‑Innocence Exception

Date: Sep 10, 2025

No Amendment After Final Adjudication: Montana’s Strict Bar on Successive Post‑Conviction Petitions and the Narrow Actual‑Innocence Exception Nonprecedential Note: This is a memorandum opinion under...

Ascertainability Is Not a Mandatory Prerequisite Under Montana Rule 23: Predominance and Early-Stage Deference Affirmed in Allied Waste v. LH Residential

Date: Sep 10, 2025

Ascertainability Is Not a Mandatory Prerequisite Under Montana Rule 23: Predominance and Early-Stage Deference Affirmed in Allied Waste v. LH Residential Introduction In Allied Waste v. LH...

Kessler and the Due Process Floor at Sentencing: No Resentencing Absent Reliance on Materially False Information; Clerical Correction of Offense Level under § 45-6-301(7)(b)(i), MCA

Date: Sep 10, 2025

Kessler and the Due Process Floor at Sentencing: No Resentencing Absent Reliance on Materially False Information; Clerical Correction of Offense Level under § 45-6-301(7)(b)(i), MCA Court: Supreme...

Supervisory Control Denied Absent a Developed Record; Pretrial Subpoenas of Child Victims to Test Waiver Are Unreasonable Under Montana’s Victim‑Advocate Privilege

Date: Sep 10, 2025

Supervisory Control Denied Absent a Developed Record; Pretrial Subpoenas of Child Victims to Test Waiver Are Unreasonable Under Montana’s Victim‑Advocate Privilege Case: A. Burch v. Twentieth...

State v. Shewalter: Continuous Officer‑Documented Noncompliance Can Extinguish All Elapsed “Street Time”; Detention Credit Is Mandatory and Must Be Precisely Calculated

Date: Sep 10, 2025

State v. Shewalter: Continuous Officer‑Documented Noncompliance Can Extinguish All Elapsed “Street Time”; Detention Credit Is Mandatory and Must Be Precisely Calculated Introduction In State v....

State v. Arvidson: Montana Supreme Court Narrows Direct Appellate Review of Ineffective Assistance to “Rare Instances” and Reaffirms the Oral‑Pronouncement Rule

Date: Sep 10, 2025

State v. Arvidson: Limiting Direct IAC Review to “Rare Instances” and Enforcing the Oral‑Pronouncement Rule Introduction In State v. Arvidson, 2025 MT 200, the Montana Supreme Court addressed two...