Lawsuits Challenge Ballot Language Changes Impacting Judicial, Initiative Reforms in Montana, Missouri

In Montana, three proposed constitutional amendments aiming to keep judicial elections nonpartisan are currently awaiting Montana Supreme Court review after their sponsors challenged Attorney General Austin Knudsen’s legal revisions to their ballot language, particularly regarding the removal of party labels from ballots. The initiatives, submitted by Montanans for Fair and Impartial Judges and Montanans for Nonpartisan Courts, face lawsuits contesting the Attorney General’s substituted ballot statements and a third initiative's failure to meet the state’s single-issue requirement. Meanwhile, in Missouri, a coalition backed by Missouri REALTORS has filed multiple lawsuits challenging a GOP-backed constitutional amendment that would require voter-backed amendments to win a majority in each of Missouri’s eight congressional districts, rather than a simple statewide majority, arguing the ballot language is misleading and conceals the measure's intent to restrict citizen-led initiatives. Critics contend this change would disproportionately empower rural districts and make it significantly harder for constitutional amendments to pass, with the lawsuits seeking court orders to rewrite the ballot summary, fair ballot language, and fiscal notes to accurately reflect the measure’s impact. These legal challenges highlight ongoing debates about voter access and transparency in the initiative and judicial election processes in both states.