Today in Helena

Government

Government in Conflict: From the PSC to the Governor's Office, Authority Is Being Tested

It was a rough week for institutional authority in Helena. A federal judge in Missoula is now deciding whether Public Service Commissioner Brad Molnar was illegally locked out of his own office — a story that puts the Montana Public Service Commission at the center of a constitutional dispute with no clean resolution in sight. Meanwhile, Gov. Greg Gianforte gave Laurel-area residents exactly one word on the proposed forensic mental health facility near their homes, and that word apparently wasn't 'no.' Down in the courts, a state judge kept former Montana Senate President Jason Ellsworth's official misconduct case alive and on track for trial. Add in national storylines — a federal judge freezing a Trump 'anti-weaponization' fund, a key surveillance authority lapsing in Congress — and the week painted a picture of governmental friction at every level. For Helena residents, the common thread is this: the institutions that are supposed to run smoothly are visibly straining, and local officials keep ending up in court to sort out what the rules actually mean. Greg Gianforte and the Montana Public Service Commission each appeared multiple times this week, suggesting neither story is close to settled.