Common Cause v. Statutory Committee to Nominate Candidates for Commissioner of Political Practices

This case involves the effect of Montana’s constitutional “right to know” and open meeting statutes on the selection and appointment of the Commissioner of Political Practices (Commissioner). Common Cause of Montana (Common Cause), a nonprofit organization that seeks to promote open, accessible and democratic government, challenged the appointment of Edward Argenbright (Argenbright) as Commissioner in the First Judicial District Court, Lewis and Clark County. Common Cause argued that the statutory committee whose function is to provide the governor with a list of names of possible candidates…