Montana Court Information

The Montana state law decrees that the courts should act as the legal custodians of the valuable public records related to all the citizens of the state. If need be, copies of these records would also be supplied by them to the people. Secondly, and more importantly, the courts in Montana also act as the protector of the common people's right to fair and swift justice.

The state courts of Montana are as follows:

•    The Supreme Court
•    The District Courts (there are 22 districts)
•    The Justice Courts
•    The City Courts
•    The Municipal Courts

As is evident from the list above, the Supreme Court is the highest legal body in the state and so it is often referred to as the ' court of last resort.'  At the lowest level are the trial courts where most cases are initially heard.

Do You Want to Get in Touch with a Montana Court?

At any point in time, legal situations might arise when you would need to view the vital court records. It might also be the case that prior to moving to the MT court system with your lawsuit, you need to know more about the court system. The legal authorities of Montana have kept these situations under consideration, and have strived to make public access to all types of legal information an easy process.

The judiciary in the state has a clearly defined goal, and this is the deliverance of fair and equal justice to everyone living in the state. If you want to know the courts of Montana better and find out the regulations and their jurisdiction, you should visit the official state website at http://www.courts.mt.gov/default.mcpx. Not only does this website have detailed information on all the courts in the state, it also explains the structure of the Montana legal system as well as the functions delegated to each and every type of court.

Montana's Supreme Court

At the top of the legal system in the state is the Supreme Court. There are 6 Associate Judges and a Chief Justice here. Apart from its regular tasks, the Supreme Court also has the vested authority of looking into the rulings of the lower courts, and if required, overturning them.

The position of the Chief Justice is open for election and it is not needed for the elected person to have served as an Associate Judge.

The Supreme Court is located at  the Justice Building, 215 N.Sanders, P.o. Box 203,001, Helena, Montana 59620-3001. You can consult with the court personnel before actually visiting the Supreme Court. The number to call for this is 406-444-5490. You may also make contact with the clerk’s office at the court. This office can be reached at 406-444-3858.

Montana's Lower Courts

Next are the District courts that work under the guidance of the Supreme Court. Other than these, there are some other courts in the state, and they are:

i)    The Worker’s Compensation Court
ii)    The Water Court
iii)    The Municipal Courts
iv)    The Justice Court
v)    The City Courts

Incidentally, the last three types of courts are also known as the ‘Courts of Limited Jurisdiction’, which means as the name suggests that their jurisdiction to decide on matters is limited.

Rules and Directives Governing the Courts of Montana

Unlike many other states, Montana does not have an intermediate appellate court. Hence, the Supreme Court has the added duty of hearing all appeal proceedings. No requests for an appeal can be rejected in Montana.

The regulations of the state also empower the Supreme Court to issue original jurisdictional rulings. This power can be exerted in either of the two following ways: first, as habeas corpus when inmates request it, and also as the monitoring authority over the lower district courts.

Accessing Montana Court Records

All the court records are prepared and properly maintained by the legal institutions of Montana. The Clerk of the Supreme Court is the chief-in-charge for these functions. The clerk also looks after the administrative activities of the state judicial system, and maintains the court dockets in Montana.

There is a separate law library in the state that serves as an important resource for different types of legal information. The data accrued from this library is also often used as references in the court proceedings in the state.