News & Commentary
Provide solutions instead of criminalization
Today marks day 78 of the 2025 Montana legislative session. As we move closer to sine die, or the final day of this legislative session, our team remains resolute in our work to stop bills that trample on the civil rights and liberties of Montanans— with a focus this week on House Bill 642.
Rise in support of civil liberties
It is all-hands-on-deck in opposition to Senate Bill 114, a proposal that would require the display of the Ten Commandments in every public school classroom across Montana.
Missoula City Council Handling of “Urban Camping” Will Harm Our Unhoused Community
Like many cities across the United States, Missoula has been grappling with how to accommodate people who are forced to sleep outside when housing is out of reach. Unfortunately, the Missoula City Council has ignored expert recommendations and significant community input related to Missoula’s “urban camping” policies; instead some City Council members pushed ahead with a harmful and restrictive urban camping ordinance that will demonstrably make life harder and more dangerous for Missoula’s unhoused residents.
The Biden Administration’s Executive Order on Policing is a Foundation to Build Upon
Two years after the murder of George Floyd, a new executive order on police reform offers a starting place, but does not go far enough.
If You Care About Freedom, You Should Be Asking Why We Don’t Fund Our Public Defender Systems
Four out of five criminal defendants can’t afford a lawyer, but in many places, the system promised to them by our state and federal constitutions is chronically in crisis.
CoreCivic's Contract to be Extended and Prison Population Increased
The ACLU of Montana is concerned about reports that Montana will not only renew its private prison contract with CoreCivic but will increase the number of people incarcerated at the Shelby facility by crowding more people into existing cells.
Settlement Reached Between Bail Companies and Montana Couple Terrorized By Bounty Hunters
ACLU’s first lawsuit against the for-profit bail underwriters that drive the predatory bail industry ended in a financial payout. A Montana family who was stalked, hunted down, and held at gunpoint by bounty hunters in 2017 have settled a lawsuit filed against the insurance companies who make bounty-hunting possible and profitable. This settlement is the final chapter in a lawsuit filed in April 2019 by the American Civil Liberties Union, ACLU of Montana, Terrell Marshall Law Group PLLC, and Tipp Coburn & Associates PC on behalf of Eugene Mitchell, Shayleen Meuchell, and their young daughter.
Announcing the Montana Coalition for Public Safety
A diverse group of public interest and grassroots organizations including the ACLU of Montana has formed the Montana Coalition for Public Safety. The group’s goal is to work with lawmakers, political leaders, and community leaders, to build a just, fair, and accurate justice system that makes Montana safer for everyone.
ACLU Montana, Others, Ask Legislators To Support Ways To Improve Reentry as Part of Broader Public Safety Efforts
The ACLU of Montana and community members today shared with Members of the Law and Justice Interim Committee about the challenges faced by individuals returning to their communities after being incarcerated or otherwise involved with Montana’s criminal legal system. The ACLU of Montana and other advocates asked the committee to study ways to improve reentry programs and keep this issue on the table during the 2021 legislative session.
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