Brown will bring fresh view to high court
We have the unique opportunity to begin immediate change on the Montana Supreme Court this election. We can replace a very liberal thinking Supreme Court justice with a constitution-based attorney who currently serves as president of the Montana Public Service Commission.
James Brown’s fresh reasoning will bring a new element of common sense to the Montana Supreme Court. His decisions will be based on the constitution and Montana statute. He won’t legislate from the bench.
James Brown will be a good partner for Justice Jim Rice, who recently wrote the dissenting opinion on the Election Integrity Laws that were put on hold by a Supreme Court split vote. The Supreme Court vote was 4-3 against HB 176, which would have moved voter registration cutoff to noon the day before the election, and 5-2 against SB 169, which required positive ID to vote so that only Montana citizens could vote in Montana elections.
That ruling touched me personally because I presented Rep. Sharon Greef’s HB 176 on the Senate floor, and I sponsored SB 169. Brown’s opponent Ingrid Gustafson cast the deciding vote against these bills.
Recently, James Brown and Justice James Rice addressed the gathering of the Montana Defense Trial Lawyers Association. Both were well received. Challenging questions were thrown at Brown, and he was more than ready with detailed answers backed up by documents.
James Brown is currently president of the Montana Public Service Commission, clerked at the Washington State Supreme Court, served on Sen. Conrad Burns’ staff, and has been an active trial attorney at the federal and state level. He won 10 out of 11 cases in Montana Supreme Court, and that is a very respectable record. He also helped write several Montana statutes.
If anything should fire up Brown’s base, it should be the Supreme Court decision to freeze action on the election integrity bills. If you are happy with Supreme Court decisions that nullify well vetted laws passed by your elected legislators, go with the status quo. If you want a positive change, vote for James Brown.
If you are tired of the relentless negative attack ads, get this: Regarding a negative ad against Jim Brown, Northwestern Energy filed a “cease and desist letter” with Montana television stations because of “misleading and deceptive information.”
With four particular points listed, the NWE letter “calls the ad demonstrably false and designed to mislead the public on matters essential to the provision of reliable and affordable energy not the citizens of Montana. I thought judges lived by the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth!
Respected Judge Nels Swandal recently issued a strong public endorsement of James Brown for Supreme Court. He tells it like it is.
Sen. Mike Cuffe, R-Eureka