Montana Case Commentaries

Pierce v. Salmonsen (Mont. 2026): Prefiling Leave Requirement for Repetitive Postconviction Filings and Territorial Habeas Jurisdiction

Date: Mar 20, 2026

Pierce v. Salmonsen (Mont. 2026): Prefiling Leave Requirement for Repetitive Postconviction Filings and Territorial Habeas Jurisdiction Introduction In Pierce v. Salmonsen (caption amended by the...

State v. Emmings: Coordinate-Jurisdiction Law-of-the-Case Limits Reconsideration; Out-of-State Residency on Conditional Discharge Does Not Terminate a Sentence

Date: Mar 20, 2026

State v. Emmings: Coordinate-Jurisdiction Law-of-the-Case Limits Reconsideration; Out-of-State Residency on Conditional Discharge Does Not Terminate a Sentence Case: State v. A. Emmings, 2026 MT 54...

Front-End Participation Satisfies Article II, Section 8: MLUPA Site-Specific Limits Survive Facial Challenge (and Covenant Declaration Vacated as Advisory)

Date: Mar 20, 2026

Front-End Participation Satisfies Article II, Section 8: MLUPA Site-Specific Limits Survive Facial Challenge (and Covenant Declaration Vacated as Advisory) Introduction M.A.I.D. v. State (2026 MT 53)...

State v. Flores-Reyes: Third-Party Vehicle Consent Does Not Extend to Sealed Containers Hidden From View Absent Common Authority

Date: Mar 20, 2026

State v. Flores-Reyes: Third-Party Vehicle Consent Does Not Extend to Sealed Containers Hidden From View Absent Common Authority 1. Introduction In State v. Flores-Reyes (2026 MT 56), the Montana...

State v. Larson (2026 MT 55): Speedy-Trial Delay Is Counted Only When an Act Postpones the Trial/Disposition Date; Plea Negotiations Are Not a Waiver and the Clock Ends at the Plea

Date: Mar 20, 2026

State v. Larson (2026 MT 55): Speedy-Trial Delay Is Counted Only When an Act Postpones the Trial/Disposition Date; Plea Negotiations Are Not a Waiver and the Clock Ends at the Plea Court: Supreme...

Mandatory DUI Minimum Fines Are Constitutional When Courts Suspend the Unpayable Portion After a Required Ability-to-Pay Inquiry (Overruling State v. Gibbons)

Date: Mar 20, 2026

Mandatory DUI Minimum Fines Are Constitutional When Courts Suspend the Unpayable Portion After a Required Ability-to-Pay Inquiry (Overruling State v. Gibbons) Case: State v. N. Cole, 2026 MT 52...

Street-Time Credit on Revocation: Continuous-Violation Findings May Be Period-Based, Not a Daily Accounting

Date: Mar 20, 2026

Street-Time Credit on Revocation: Continuous-Violation Findings May Be Period-Based, Not a Daily Accounting Case: State v. Valenzuela, 2026 MT 57N (Mont. Mar. 17, 2026) (memorandum opinion,...

State v. Walton: Plain-Error Limits on Unpreserved Evidentiary Claims, Non-Mandatory 404(b) Limiting Instructions, and Permissible “Blind Expert” Testimony in Child Sexual Abuse Trials

Date: Mar 13, 2026

State v. Walton: Plain-Error Limits on Unpreserved Evidentiary Claims, Non-Mandatory 404(b) Limiting Instructions, and Permissible “Blind Expert” Testimony in Child Sexual Abuse Trials Introduction...

Record Silence Sends Ineffective-Assistance and Right-to-Testify Claims to Postconviction Review (State v. Roope)

Date: Mar 13, 2026

Record Silence Sends Ineffective-Assistance and Right-to-Testify Claims to Postconviction Review (State v. Roope) 1. Introduction In State v. Roope, 2026 MT 51N (Mont. Mar. 10, 2026) (memorandum...

Buck v. Conrad: Oral Pronouncement Controls; No Double-Counting of Jail Credit on Revocation

Date: Mar 13, 2026

Buck v. Conrad: Oral Pronouncement Controls; No Double-Counting of Jail Credit on Revocation 1. Introduction In Buck v. Conrad (Mont. Mar. 10, 2026), petitioner Michael A. Buck sought habeas corpus...

Flat-Fee Retainers and Counsel Withdrawal: No Cronic Presumption When Withdrawal Is Granted and New Counsel Appointed

Date: Mar 13, 2026

Flat-Fee Retainers and Counsel Withdrawal: No Cronic Presumption When Withdrawal Is Granted and New Counsel Appointed Case: K. Briggs v. State (2026 MT 47) | Court: Supreme Court of Montana | Date:...

Parenting-Plan Modification Requires Admissible Proof of Changed Circumstances; Judge’s Remote (Zoom) Appearance Is Not Structural/Plain Error Absent Prejudice

Date: Mar 13, 2026

Parenting-Plan Modification Requires Admissible Proof of Changed Circumstances; Judge’s Remote (Zoom) Appearance Is Not Structural/Plain Error Absent Prejudice Introduction Case: In re the Marriage...

Guilty Pleas to Some Counts in a Single Information Do Not Trigger § 46-11-503(1)(b) Double-Jeopardy Bar Absent a Judgment or Sentence

Date: Mar 12, 2026

Guilty Pleas to Some Counts in a Single Information Do Not Trigger § 46-11-503(1)(b) Double-Jeopardy Bar Absent a Judgment or Sentence 1. Introduction State v. Standifur (2026 MT 49) addresses the...

Plain Error Must Be Requested in the Opening Brief; Napue Relief Requires Proof of Actual Falsity (State v. Stinger, 2026 MT 46)

Date: Mar 12, 2026

Plain Error Must Be Requested in the Opening Brief; Napue Relief Requires Proof of Actual Falsity 1. Introduction In State v. J. Stinger, the Supreme Court of Montana affirmed Justin Casey Stinger’s...

State v. Sandberg (2026 MT 45): “Victim” Labeling in Disputed-Crime Trials and the Limits of Consciousness-of-Guilt Evidence

Date: Mar 12, 2026

State v. Sandberg (2026 MT 45): “Victim” Labeling in Disputed-Crime Trials and the Limits of Consciousness-of-Guilt Evidence 1. Introduction In State v. K. Sandberg, the Supreme Court of Montana...

State v. Haacke (2026 MT 40): No Per Se For-Cause Strike for a Juror’s “Preference” That the Defense Rebut the State—Bias Assessed by Totality of Statements and Voir Dire Context

Date: Mar 7, 2026

No Per Se For-Cause Strike for a Juror’s “Preference” That the Defense Rebut the State—Impartiality Turns on the Totality of Statements and Voir Dire Context Case: State v. R. Haacke, 2026 MT 40...

Centron v. Hollewijn: Summary Judgment Must Track the Motion; “Reasonable Time” to Object in Account-Stated Claims Is Generally for the Jury

Date: Mar 7, 2026

Centron v. Hollewijn: Summary Judgment Must Track the Motion; “Reasonable Time” to Object in Account-Stated Claims Is Generally for the Jury 1. Introduction In Centron Services, Inc. d/b/a Rocky...

Permanent Protection Orders May Bar Parent-Child Contact Until Age 18 When Necessary to Prevent Harm

Date: Mar 7, 2026

Permanent Protection Orders May Bar Parent-Child Contact Until Age 18 When Necessary to Prevent Harm I. Introduction Darrah v. Haggag (Mont. 2026 MT 43N) concerns whether the Seventeenth Judicial...

State v. Hinkle (2026 MT 42): No Hearing Required on a Motion to Discharge a Jury Panel Absent Facts Showing Substantial Noncompliance Affecting Randomness/Objectivity

Date: Mar 6, 2026

State v. Hinkle (2026 MT 42): No Hearing Required on a Motion to Discharge a Jury Panel Absent Facts Showing Substantial Noncompliance Affecting Randomness/Objectivity Court: Supreme Court of Montana...

Closely Related “Initiative-and-Referendum Right” Amendments Satisfy Montana’s Separate-Vote Rule; Fiscal Statements Require a Determinable Fiscal Impact

Date: Mar 3, 2026

Closely Related “Initiative-and-Referendum Right” Amendments Satisfy Montana’s Separate-Vote Rule; Fiscal Statements Require a Determinable Fiscal Impact Introduction In T. Kendrick v. A. Knudsen...

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