Montana State Auditor and Commissioner of Securities and Insurance James Brown issued a statement following the Montana Supreme Court’s dismissal of a complaint filed against Attorney General Austin Knudsen, calling the decision a reaffirmation of constitutional principles and the separation of powers.
In his statement, Brown said the court’s ruling confirmed that the complaint was politically motivated rather than grounded in law.
“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,” Brown said. “The facts and the Constitution were never on the complainants’ side.”
Brown said the dismissal underscored the attorney general’s constitutional authority and reinforced limits on the use of the courts in political disputes.
“Attorney General Knudsen acted squarely within his constitutional authority, and the Court’s dismissal reaffirms the foundational principle of separation of powers,” Brown said. “Courts should never be used as venues for partisan vendettas, and these activist actions should not have been entertained in the first place.”
He also warned that using legal processes for political purposes can erode public confidence in government institutions.
“When legal processes are weaponized for political purposes, public trust in our institutions is damaged and the rule of law is weakened,” Brown said. “That is why it is so important that today’s decision draws a clear line against judicial and political overreach.”
Brown concluded by congratulating Knudsen and praising him for defending Montana’s Constitution.
“I congratulate Attorney General Austin Knudsen on this outcome and commend him for standing firm in defense of Montana’s Constitution,” Brown said. “Elected officials must be free to carry out their lawful duties without fear of politically driven retaliation.”
By DNU Staff