Supreme Court Dismissal Affirms AG Knudsen and Highlights the Importance of Separation of Powers

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Date: December 31, 2025
Contact: Tyler Newcombe
Tyler.Newcombe@mt.gov
 
December 31, 2025
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Montana State Auditor and Commissioner of Securities and Insurance James Brown today issued the following statement after the Montana Supreme Court dismissed the complaint filed against Attorney General Austin Knudsen:
 
“Today’s decision by the Montana Supreme Court confirms what many Montanans recognized from the beginning: this process was not about enforcing the law but about advancing a politically motivated show trial against a duly elected Attorney General. The facts and the Constitution were never on the complainants’ side.
 
“Attorney General Knudsen acted squarely within his constitutional authority, and the Court’s dismissal reaffirms the foundational principle of separation of powers. Courts should never be used as venues for partisan vendettas, and these activist actions should not have been entertained in the first place.
 
“When legal processes are weaponized for political purposes, public trust in our institutions is damaged and the rule of law is weakened. That is why it is so important that today’s decision draws a clear line against judicial and political overreach.
 
“I congratulate Attorney General Austin Knudsen on this outcome and commend him for standing firm in defense of Montana’s Constitution. Elected officials must be free to carry out their lawful duties without fear of politically driven retaliation”.

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840 Helena Avenue, Helena, Montana 59601
(main fax) 406.444.3413  I  (securities fax) 406.444.5558
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(phone) 800.332.6148 or 406.444.2040  I  (email) csi@mt.gov  I  (web) www.csimt.gov

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