Breaking news: Montana lawmaker resigns committee chairmanship

Lawmaker resigns leadership post after citation

MATT GOURAS, Associated Press

HELENA — State Sen. Jim Shockley resigned Thursday as Judiciary Committee chairman after he was cited for driving with an open beer in his vehicle, but says he will continue his run for state attorney general.

The Republican from Victor told The Associated Press he will not let the incident derail his plans to run for higher office in 2012. But, he added, he broke the law and it is not possible to continue running the Senate Judiciary Committee when its focus is cracking down on drunken driving.

"Considering the...