What began as a minor traffic stop in eastern Montana became a drug bust three years ago. But a recent Montana Supreme Court ruling has overturned the conviction, and put more safeguards in place, saying a minor – nearly trifling – stop can’t transform into a search-and-seizure operation without clear probable cause. The case, State of Montana vs. Noli, also was key because it leaned heavily

Working with the 68th Legislature, Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks and the Montana Department of Natural Resources and Conservation simplified licensing requirements on state lands as part of Gov. Gianforte’s Red Tape Relief Task Force. The two agencies consolidated the conservation license and state lands recreational use license into one annual conservation license, supporting the maintenance