by NotPhil

In his majority opinion, Chief Justice Mike McGrath dove deep into history, ranging back over the “tumultuous years … marked by rough contests for political and economic domination between mining and industrial enterprises controlled by trusts or corporations.” Noting that, back in the last Gilded Age, Montana's wealthy "Copper Kings" bought judges and senators, picked the location of the capital, and owned the media, McGrath pointed to Montana’s long history of having its resources plundered by corporate interests to emphasize that the state has a compelling interest in maintaining its ban.