The Montana Supreme Court has cleared the way for proponents of a abortion rights ballot initiative to begin collecting signatures.

Abortion-rights advocates are asking the Montana Supreme Court to force the secretary of state to allow signature-collecting to begin on a ballot initiative.

Abortion-rights advocates have asked the Montana Supreme Court to force the secretary of state to allow signature gathering to begin on a ballot initiative. It’s part of a fast-moving legal back-and-forth ahead of a June deadline to collect signatures needed to certify the constitutional initiative for the ballot.

Republican lawmakers have ordered the Secretary of State to send a proposed ballot initiative to a legislative committee for review before signature-gathering begins. The request escalates tensions between the lawmakers and the state Supreme Court, which said this week such a review wasn’t required.

The Flathead County Elections Office will redo elections for two Kalispell City Council seats May 7.

A group of public education advocates sued the state’s leader of K-12 schools to prevent what they say is “an additional layer of red tape” to the opening of new public charter schools.

The Montana Supreme Court has rephrased a proposed ballot initiative after its supporters and the state Attorney General clashed over the language. The initiative about abortion access can now advance.

Lawyers argued before the Montana Supreme Court Friday in a case that could determine the future of the proposed Black Butte Copper Mine in Central Montana.

The laws championed by Republican legislators would have eliminated same-day voter registration, restricted acceptable types of voter ID, restricted who can get an absentee ballot and regulated ballot collection efforts.

More state officials are voicing frustration over what they say are misinterpretations of education laws from Montana’s leader of K-12 schools, Elsie Arntzen.