HELENA, Mont. (AP) - Montana’s commissioner of political practices says a political committee supporting a candidate for Supreme Court broke state law by having a name that did not identify the special interest of the majority of its contributors.
But Commissioner Jon Motl says Montanans for Experienced Judges quickly corrected the problem, which will be a factor in any fine.
Four of the six original donors to the group supporting candidate Dirk Sandefur were lawyers, and a fifth was the Montana Trial Lawyers Association.
Motl said Thursday that to comply with the law, the group needed to have “lawyers” in its name.
The day after a complaint was filed this month, the group changed its name to Montanans and Lawyers for Experienced Judges.
The next day, the committee disclosed eight new non-lawyer contributors, allowing it to change its name back.
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