"Montana Supreme Court Advances Abortion Ballot Proposal"

The Montana Supreme Court has ruled in favor of allowing a constitutional initiative to explicitly protect abortion rights to proceed to the November ballot, overturning the state attorney general's finding that the proposal was "legally insufficient." The court found that the proposal did not improperly combine distinct subjects and that the attorney general exceeded his authority in concluding that it would confuse voters. The initiative's future still requires finalizing ballot statement language, passing through legislative review, and collecting over 60,000 verified signatures. The court also directed the attorney general to prepare a ballot statement within five days.