The Whitefish City Council will make a proclamation in support of nonpartisan municipal court elections at its Nov. 2 meeting. 

Retired Flathead County District Judge Kitty Curtis as well as current Whitefish Municipal Court Judge Caitlin Overland were among the six people who spoke at a recent meeting in favor of CI-132, an initiative that requires nonpartisan judicial elections. CI-132 is sponsored by Montanans for nonpartisan courts. 

Curtis said the initiative is endorsed by nine retired Supreme Court justices and 40 retired district court judges, and 78,000 legal signatures from Montanans were collected to put the issue on the ballot. 

“It is clear that Montanans want to elect their judges based on their experience, their qualifications and their record and not based on politics, as they have for more than 90 years,” she said. “Unfortunately, politicians in Helena, during the last legislative session, attempted to turn judges into partisan politicians, making them wear campaign badges, resulting in judges, like all partisan politicians, becoming beholden to party politics, instead of being governed by the facts and the law in the cases that appear before the judges.” 

She said that attempt was almost successful and warned that it will happen again until CI-132 is passed. At that point, Curtis said people going to court will be assured to have a judge “who is fair, impartial and independent.” 

Overland said she is not a Democratic or Republican judge. 

“Anyone coming into the court in Whitefish should have the confidence and guarantee that political affiliations will have no bearing on the outcome of their case,” she said. “Allowing partisan judges will only further erode the confidence that our fellow citizens have in their courts and our democracy.” 

Spurred by many requests for one, Councilor Andy Feury asked the Council about having a proclamation in support of nonpartisan courts and municipal elections. 

Whitefish City Attorney Angela Jacobs said court decisions will be affected by a partisan judiciary. 

Councilor Giuseppe Caltabiano, who recently was elected chair of the Flathead Republican Central Committee, said the proclamation would appear to be made due to public pressure for the initiative, and the Council should not advocate for or against any ballot measures. 

The council voted 3-1 in favor of making a proclamation, and Mayor John Muhlfeld asked that a draft of the proclamation be distributed to the Councilors prior to its meeting on Nov. 2. 

Reporter Julie Engler can be reached at 406-862-3505 or [email protected]. If you value local journalism, pledge your support at whitefishpilot.com/support.