The Montana Supreme Court unanimously approved new ballot language Tuesday for the Transparent Election Initiative, a proposed measure that would ban corporate contributions to political candidates — overriding language written by Attorney General Austin Knudsen that the court found legally deficient.

Knudsen had previously drawn scrutiny for rewriting ballot summaries in ways critics argued mischaracterized the initiatives they described. The court's intervention in this case follows a pattern of disputes between the attorney general's office and initiative backers over whether Knudsen's rewrites fairly represented what voters would actually be deciding.

The Transparent Election Initiative is aimed at closing what supporters describe as a loophole allowing corporate money to flow directly into candidate campaigns. Opponents have argued the measure raises constitutional questions under federal campaign finance precedent. The court's decision to approve new language clears a procedural hurdle but does not place the measure on the ballot — signature gathering and additional qualification steps remain ahead for organizers.

For Helena-area voters, the ruling matters because Lewis and Clark County has historically been a key signature-gathering hub for statewide ballot initiatives. Whether the initiative ultimately qualifies will depend in part on organizers' ability to collect signatures under the court-approved language.