District Courts have general jurisdiction over all civil and criminal cases, but usually only handle cases that are beyond the jurisdiction of other courts. The Montana trial court system consists of District Courts, Justice Courts, City Courts, Municipal Courts, Water Court, and Workers' Compensation Court.For more information on which types of cases each court oversees, compare Montana courts. The Clerk of District Court also serves as Jury Commissioner for Pondera County. This case is even more notable because the out-of-state court was a United States district court in New York. The Clerk is the custodian of the District Court records. Appointments were valid until the end of the next legislative session. Uniform District Court Rules, Local Rules, Fee Schedule, Statistics, and more, About Youth Courts, Reports and Evaluations, Prevention Incentive Funds. District Courts handle both criminal and civil cases. 1984)., a District Court has jurisdiction over an adult being tried for crimes committed when the defendant was a minor. 1982)., the high court ruled that charges against judges had to rise to the level of constitutionally proscribed misconduct in office before the JSC could investigate. An independent study of District Court workload in 2016 found that the state needed another 21 District Court judges to bring workload levels down to acceptable levels. Beyond that, however, the legislature now required the JSC to obtain a verified, written complaint. Montana’s District Courts are the general jurisdiction trial courts for the state, and they are the highest trial courts. [17] In the wake of the U.S. Supreme Court's ruling in Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission, 558 U.S. 310 (Sup.Ct. Montana Code Annotated, Title 3, Chapter 1, Part 16 establishes a District Court Council to develop and adopt policies and procedures regarding the administration of the District Courts. The Montana Supreme Court made a landmark decision in 2009 in Baxter v. The right of the Montana District Court to exercise original jurisdiction in a probate case involving a judgment by an out-of-state court was upheld by the Montana Supreme Court in In the Matter of the Estates of Jeffrey Connor Wilhelm, Deceased, 760 P.2d 718 (Mont. [35][36] Although some legislators have suggested increasing the use of binding arbitration, even in criminal law, the Montana Supreme Court ruled in Kloss v. Edward D. Jones & Co., 57 P.3d 41 (Mont. This court is outside of that coverage scope and does not receive scheduled updates. [15] Jurisdictional conflict is common in Montana, as the state is home to several sovereign Indian reservations and non-resident landowners are common. At Issue. [17], In 1935, the state legislature enacted new legislation barring political parties from endorsing, making contributions to, or making expenditures on behalf of or against judicial candidates. District Judges are elected positions. These lower courts are made up of the 56 trial or superior courts found across the 56 Montana counties. Under the new constitution, District Courts now had jurisdiction only over criminal felonies, while criminal misdemeanors were handled by City Courts, Justice of the Peace Courts, and Municipal Courts. 1984)., the issue was whether a District Court could continue to operate even though its budget for the fiscal year had ended. It is overseen by the Montana Supreme Court, administered by the state Court Administrator’s Office, and … Courts in Montana; Montana District Courts; News: Menahan to run for district judge position in 2012, September 27, 2011; External links. United States District Court District of Montana Hon. [2] National politics delayed Montana's statehood, however, in part because a significant number of other territories (Arizona Territory, Dakota Territory, Idaho Territory, New Mexico Territory, Utah Territory, Washington Territory, and Wyoming Territory) were all seeking statehood. 1988). We assist District Court Judges by providing optimum and efficient case management of all District Court records. [15] Further, the court held in State ex rel. [23] In 2010, the Montana Supreme Court held that "elective public office" did not include tribal office. Montana District, U.S. District Courts: Free Case Lookup, Search Court Records, Access Cases Online, Find Docket Information, View Case Summary, Check Case Status, Download Court Documents, & More. Constitution of the State of Montana, Article VIII, §16 (1889). By it in Montana.He was appointed by Gov PHONE number for Broadwater County in Montana 2013. 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