The Montana Supreme Court reversed a lower court order on Thursday, September 24, halting the placement of a proposed data center initiative on the November ballot for Butte-Silver Bow voters.

The high court vacated an injunction issued earlier that week which had permitted the measure to proceed during appeal. Without the injunction, the petition cannot advance to the general election.

Signature Deadline Dispute

The legal conflict centers on conflicting interpretations of signature gathering deadlines under Montana law. The Supreme Court noted that both parties involved in the dispute should have been aware of the statutory requirements for qualifying ballot measures.

In its ruling, the court emphasized that the procedural confusion was preventable. “The situation the parties and this court find themselves in was entirely avoidable,” the justices stated.

Ballot Printing Complications

The reversal comes after ballots had already been printed and mailed for the upcoming November election. The Supreme Court indicated it was not aware that the printing process had commenced before issuing the initial injunction allowing the measure to move forward.

The proposed initiative would have required voter approval before any new data centers could be built or existing facilities expanded within Butte-Silver Bow boundaries. By vacating the lower court’s decision, the Supreme Court effectively removed the measure from consideration for this election cycle.