Frontier Institute Issues Statement Following Order In MAID v. Montana

Statement from Frontier Institute

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 3rd, 2025
tavery@frontierinstitute.org

Frontier Institute Issues Statement Following Order In MAID v. Montana

HELENA, Mont. – In response to today’s order by Gallatin District Court in the MAID v. Montana case denying plaintiff’s challenges to SB 323, SB 528, and SB 245 and partially granting challenges to SB 382 passed by the 2023 Montana legislature, Frontier Institute issued the following statement:

“Today’s order upholding SB 323, SB 528, and SB 245 is a victory for private property rights and the legislature’s efforts to address Montana’s housing crisis by giving landowners in cities more freedom to build homes,” said Kendall Cotton, President and CEO. “At the same time, we are disappointed that the court struck down innovative provisions of SB 382 that improve the public input process and speed up housing approvals. We hope to see the defendants appeal this aspect of today’s order.”

Click HERE to access a full copy of the order.

A brief timeline of the case:

• In 2023, Republicans and Democrats in the Montana Legislature nearly unanimously passed a slate of pro-housing reforms to legalize building affordable starter homes in cities and to streamline local regulations to speed up construction, helping drive housing costs down for everyone. National media outlets dubbed it the “Montana Miracle.”
• On Dec. 15th, 2023, a new group called Montanans Against Irresponsible Densification, or MAID, filed a lawsuit in Gallatin District Court to challenge the constitutionality of four of the new pro-housing laws: SB 323, SB 528, SB 382 and SB 245
• On Dec. 29th, 2023 a district court judge ordered a temporary injunction blocking SB 323 and SB 528 from taking effect on Jan 1st, 2024.
• On September 3rd, 2024, the Montana Supreme Court reversed the injunction placed on SB 323 and SB 528, and from there the case went back to district court.