A Win For The Green Party

Two Green Party candidates who have filed to run for seats in the Montana Legislature can appear on the ballot this year as part of a settlement in a long-running legal case. The Montana Green Party had challenged the constitutionality of the law that sets the signature-gathering requirements to qualify minor party candidates for the ballot. In November, the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that the state law was unconstitutional. On Wednesday, U.S. District Judge Brian Morris accepted a settlement that allows Green Party candidates to appear on the 2022 ballots. The Legislature will have an opportunity to change the minor party qualification law in 2023.