Revise judiciary laws

SB 543 would allow candidates for Montana's Supreme Court Chief Justice and Justice positions to list their political party affiliation on nomination forms and ballots, changing these races from nonpartisan to include party designation. The bill amends election laws to require that candidates indicating party affiliation have it appear "in no more than three words" below their name on ballots, while those not indicating a party would be labeled "Nonpartisan." It also increases the filing fee for these judicial races to $1,750 and updates ballot preparation rules to accommodate party designations. This bill directly affects candidates and voters in Montana Supreme Court elections, altering how judicial candidates are presented on ballots. The bill was introduced in 2025 but died in committee on May 23, 2025.