HELENA — In the escalating battle between leading Republicans and the Montana judiciary, Attorney General Austin Knudsen has asked that all seven justices of the Montana Supreme Court disqualify themselves from deciding the legality of legislative subpoenas seeking internal documents from the court.
Knudsen, a Republican, filed the motion late Friday, saying the justices have an inherent conflict of interest in ruling on the subpoenas, which are directed at the court, and the request to block them, brought by its top administrator.