EDITOR'S PICK

Prominent Republican says Montana should ‘throw out’ state Constitution

Eric Dietrich Montana Free Press 20 hrs ago

In a comment published by the Flathead Beacon, prominent Rep. Derek Skees, R-Kalispell, disparaged Montana’s state Constitution, lamenting that its right of privacy clause has given state courts a legal basis for blocking new abortion restrictions and calling the document a “socialist rag” that should be replaced.

{snip}

Reached by text last Thursday with a description of the quote published by the Beacon and a request for further explanation, Skees said he was at a hunting camp. He did not disavow the quote or dispute its accuracy.

{snip}

The current Montana Constitution, ratified with a statewide vote in 1972, replaced the prior constitution adopted with statehood in 1889. Amendments can be advanced either by citizen initiative, requiring signatures from 10% of qualified voters, or by the Legislature with support from at least two-thirds of the state’s 150 representatives and senators. In either case, amendments don’t become constitutional law unless they survive any court challenges and win majority support in a statewide vote.

Similar initiative and legislative processes can spur a call for a convention to draft a new constitution, and Montanans must also vote on whether they want to replace the 1972 Constitution at least once every 20 years. Votes to call a new convention failed by an 18-82 margin in 1990 and a 41-59 margin in 2010.

Republicans currently hold 98 seats between the Montana House and Senate, meaning they could win enough support for the GOP to unilaterally place constitutional amendments before voters if the party picks up two more legislative seats in next year’s election cycle.

{snip}

This story is printed with the permission of the Montana Free Press. The original story can be accessed here.