Judge Awards $95K in Fees for Lawyers Who Successfully Challenged MT Bill Defining Sex

Judge awards $95K in fees for lawyers who successfully challenged MT bill defining sex

With the ruling, nearly $96,000 in taxpayer money in the form of legal fees will flow from the state to the ACLU of Montana.

State owes nearly $100K in attorneys fees in gender definition case

Lawyer Kyle Gray, left, with Holland & Hart, argues on behalf of plaintiffs who allege Senate bill 458 is unconstitutional. Lawyer Alex Rate, with the ACLU of Montana, also represents plaintiffs. (Keila Szpaller/The Daily Montanan)The Montana Legislature didn’t just pass an unconstitutional law when it supported House Bill 458, a 2023 law which narrowly defined “male” and “female.” It also left taxpayers with a hefty legal tab, according to a ru…

Judge: State owes nearly $100K for case centering on ‘male’ and ‘female’ definitions

The Montana Legislature didn’t just pass an unconstitutional law when it supported House Bill 458, a 2023 law which narrowly defined “male” and “female.” It also left taxpayers with a hefty legal tab, according to a ruling from a Missoula…

New Montana Supreme Court Case is a Win for Transparency

In a major boost to Montanans’ constitutional right to know, the state Supreme Court ruled that citizens who successfully sue for public records are presumptively entitled to recover their attorney’s fees. With this precedent, courthouse doors are more accessible to those who have been wrongfully denied their right to know. Montana Environmental Information Center v. Governor changes the calculus...