– Staff of the Commission

(a) The Court Administrator shall select an Executive Secretary whose duty it shall be to record minutes of the meetings and hearings which shall be a permanent record of the actions of the Commission. The Executive Secretary shall be responsible for the custody and safekeeping of all the records of the Commission. The Executive Secretary shall promptly furnish to members of the Commission copies of all grievances, complaints, notices, answers and other documents filed in connections with proceedings before the Commission. The Executive Secretary’s salary and benefits are established by the Judicial Branch Pay Plan pursuant to § 3-1-130, MCA. (b) The Commission may appoint a qualified person to investigate charges against a judicial officer and to report findings to the Commission, and to otherwise assist the Commission in its inquiry into the conduct or disability of a judicial officer. (c) The Commission may appoint an attorney licensed to practice law in the State of Montana, or a retired district court judge or retired Supreme Court justice who has not been subject to prior discipline by the Commission, to marshal and present evidence, to file a formal 4 complaint, and to prosecute a formal complaint before the Commission in its inquiry into the conduct or disability of a judicial officer. (d) An individual, attorney, retired district court judge, or retired Supreme Court justice appointed by the Commission under (b) or (c) above shall be paid as determined from time to time by the Commission from funds provided for the operation of the Commission. (e) The Commission may employ a qualified law clerk to assist with drafting orders and opinions as deemed necessary by the Chair of the Commission.