A Montana Freemen alumnus cannot sue a Yellowstone County justice of the peace for blocking him from defending a friend in a criminal proceeding, the state Supreme Court has ruled.

Justices ruled without dissent against Rodney Owen Skurdal on Wednesday in a case involving Yellowstone County Justice of the Peace Jeanne Walker. The high court said Walker’s actions were within the scope of her job and protected by judicial immunity. Many of the arguments Skurdal made were views espoused by the Freemen.

The 1990s anti-government Montana Freemen movement in which Skurdal was involved ended in an 81-day armed standoff with the FBI near Jordan. Several members of the movement were criminally charged, including Skurdal, who was found guilty in November 1998 of writing millions of dollars in ba

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