MT SB40

Montana Supreme Court must electronically record all closed judicial deliberation meetings, with both audio recording and written minutes (including date, time, attendees, substance of discussion, and all documents considered) constituting the official record

Recordings and written records of closed Supreme Court deliberations become available for public inspection after a case becomes final, defined as when time for U.S. Supreme Court review or any other court review has expired

Supreme Court may redact confidential information from disclosed records, including constitutionally protected privacy matters, security-related information, and information designated confidential by statute or court order

Amends existing open meeting laws to explicitly include the Supreme Court among public bodies whose meetings must be open to the public, citing Montana Constitution Article II, Section 9 (right to know) as containing no judicial exception

Effective date: October 1, 2025