Montana’s attorney general defends actions at hearing on 41 counts of professional misconduct

Associated Press

HELENA, Mont. (AP) — Montana’s attorney general testified before a state commission during a hearing that could lead to action against his law license. At issue is his aggressive defense of a law allowing the state’s first Republican governor in 16 years to directly fill judicial vacancies. The law was part of a nationwide effort to make the judiciary more conservative. The hearing began Wednesday and could last up to three days. The complaint says Austin Knudsen and the lawyers he supervised attempted to evade the authority of the Montana Supreme Court. It also says they questioned the integrity of individual justices after the court quashed a subpoena seeking emails from the court administrator. Knudsen defended his actions, but said his office could have used language that wasn’t so sharp.