Gallatin County Audrey Cromwell doesn't think Montana Attorney General Austin Knudsen has the authority to take over her office, and she wants the Montana Supreme Court to step in.
In a Monday filing, attorney Raph Graybill, who is representing Cromwell, asked the high court to determine the meaning behind the state law cited by Knudsen when he invoked "supervisory control" over the Gallatin County Attorney's Office in April.
The dispute dates back to last fall, when Cromwell's office sent a letter to local law enforcement regarding cooperation with federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents. Knudsen cited an email from Cromwell's executive assistant stating that her office "does not legally recognize" as a federal agency eligible to receive confidential information from law enforcement.
Cromwell told the Montana Free Press in a written statement that ICE had requested "nonpublic" information about a person in a civil case, and the county has no "blanket policy" with regards to ICE.
She sued Knudsen's office this spring in an effort to block his takeover.
Related: Montana AG orders county attorney to drop lawsuit against him
In the Monday filing, Graybill argued that Knudsen is trying to force Cromwell to give incorrect advice, potentially placing the county at risk of severe penalties.
In 2020, Graybill, a Democrat, lost to Knudsen in the race for attorney general.
