Judge rules domestic violence law discriminatory

WHITEFISH (AP) — State prosecutors are appealing a Lincoln County justice court judge's ruling that Montana's domestic violence law has a "gross flaw" that discriminates against heterosexuals.

Judge Stormy Langston wrote in her Aug. 7 ruling that the state's partner/family member assault law defines a "partner" as a person in a heterosexual relationship. Because of the definition, an offender in a homosexual relationship would have to be charged with a crime that carries a lesser penalty.

"This classification does not consider those engaged in homosexual dating or ongoing intimate relatio...