There is a 50-square mile strip of Idaho in the Yellowstone National Park where, at least in theory, no one can be prosecuted. This is not made up. The reason starts with geography, goes to the Constitution, and ends with Congress failing to fix the problem. The...

You are enjoying a quiet breakfast and look out the window to find someone else’s cattle munching on your prized flowers. You can sue the owner of the cattle, right? It depends. Montana has “open range” laws that provide in most parts of the state a property owner...

 When I was a kid, my three-legged dog Jerry bit a neighbor. I remember the insurance adjuster – one of the few people I’d ever seen with a suit on in my town of 60 people – came out and started asking our neighbors if Jerry had ever bitten anyone else. Turns out the...

Let’s face it: going to court is far too expensive, time consuming, and adversarial. That has led to a revolution in the legal system: The increasing use of mediation and arbitration, which is a way to decide disputes without going to court. And it’s very popular....

Montana is unique, which is one of the reasons we love this place so much. Last month this column described something that only happens in Montana law but no other state: marriages when both people can be 10,000 miles apart for the ceremony. This month’s column is...

Long-distance romantic relationships can be hard. Let’s say you want to get married but the two of you are 10,000 miles apart. Montana law has solved this problem for you. And the solution our state came up with only exists in Montana. It’s called double-proxy...