MT HB646

Montana Supreme Court justices would be elected by voters within 7 geographic districts rather than statewide, with one justice per district serving 8-year terms

Seven districts established by county groupings: First (north-central including Cascade), Second (eastern Montana with 27 counties), Third (Yellowstone County only), Fourth (southwest including Lewis and Clark), Fifth (northwest including Flathead), Sixth (Gallatin, Madison, Silver Bow), Seventh (Missoula, Mineral, Lake)

Chief justice selection changes from current method to majority vote of the seven justices after the 2032 general election

Current justices may complete their terms; the chief justice assigns sitting justices to districts corresponding to their seat numbers, with sitting justices required to run for reelection in their assigned district unless they resign to run elsewhere

Legislature required to review district boundaries after each decennial census to maintain approximately equal populations while following county lines