State v. Trombley

2026 MT 59
CourtMontana Supreme Court
DecidedMarch 24, 2026
DocketDA 24-0013
StatusPublished
AuthorMcKinnon

This text of 2026 MT 59 (State v. Trombley) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Montana Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
State v. Trombley, 2026 MT 59 (Mo. 2026).

Opinion

03/24/2026

DA 24-0013 Case Number: DA 24-0013

IN THE SUPREME COURT OF THE STATE OF MONTANA

2026 MT 59

STATE OF MONTANA,

Plaintiff and Appellee,

v.

MICHAEL ROSS TROMBLEY,

Defendant and Appellant.

APPEAL FROM: District Court of the Twentieth Judicial District, In and For the County of Lake, Cause No. DC-23-65 Honorable Deborah Kim Christopher, Presiding Judge

COUNSEL OF RECORD:

For Appellant:

Tammy A. Hinderman, Appellate Defender Division Administrator, Emma N. Sauve, Assistant Appellate Defender, Helena, Montana

For Appellee:

Austin Knudsen, Montana Attorney General, Cori Losing, Assistant Attorney General, Helena, Montana

James Lapotka, Lake County Attorney, Benjamin Anciaux, Deputy County Attorney, Polson, Montana

Submitted on Briefs: December 17, 2025

Decided: March 24, 2026

Filed:

__________________________________________ Clerk Justice Laurie McKinnon delivered the Opinion of the Court.

¶1 Michael Ross Trombley (Trombley) appeals from the denial of his motion to

dismiss and the subsequent written judgment entered against him finding him guilty of Bail

Jumping, a felony in violation of § 45-7-308, MCA, entered in the Twentieth Judicial

District Court, Lake County, on November 9, 2023. Trombley contends that § 45-7-308,

MCA, is unconstitutionally vague and that the State failed to allege sufficient facts to

establish probable cause that Trombley had committed Bail Jumping when the State did

not allege any facts to show that Trombley did not have a “lawful excuse” when he failed

to appear at the court date he was ordered to attend. We affirm.

¶2 We restate the issues on appeal as follows:

1. Whether Montana’s offense of Bail Jumping, codified at § 45-7-308, MCA, is unconstitutionally vague.

2. Whether the State alleged sufficient facts to establish probable cause for the offense of Bail Jumping when it did not allege any facts to show that Trombley did not have a “lawful excuse” not to appear at the court hearing he was ordered to attend.

FACTUAL AND PROCEDURAL BACKGROUND

¶3 On January 19, 2023, Trombley appeared before the District Court on a Petition to

Revoke Probation for an unrelated felony. The District Court released Trombley from

custody on the condition that he appear for an Adjudicatory Hearing on February 16, 2023.

Trombley failed to appear at this hearing. The State filed an Information on February 21,

2023, charging Trombley with Bail Jumping, alleging that:

On or about the 16th day of February, 2023 at 9:00 a.m., in Lake County, Montana, the Defendant MICHAEL ROSS TROMBLEY, having been set at liberty with security by court order, in proceedings involving felony criminal

2 charges, upon the condition that he would subsequently appear for the adjudicatory hearing on the 16th day of February, 2023 at 9:00 a.m. in the District Courtroom, Lake County Courthouse, Polson, Montana, purposely failed, without lawful excuse, to appear at that time and place.

The District Court issued a warrant for Trombley’s arrest. Officers arrested Trombley on

May 4, 2023, approximately ten weeks after the State filed its Information charging

Trombley with Bail Jumping. Trombley appeared before the District Court and entered a

plea of not guilty.

¶4 Trombley subsequently filed a motion to dismiss on July 25, 2023. In his motion to

dismiss, Trombley argued that the State failed to allege any facts to show that Trombley

purposely tried to miss his court appearance and that any number of reasons, such as illness

or transportation issues, could have prevented him from appearing at his court hearing.

Trombley further asserted that the State had failed to allege sufficient probable cause since

the clerk of court, who swore an affidavit in support of the Information, lacked personal

knowledge as to Trombley’s reasons for failing to appear at his court hearing. Lastly,

Trombley argued that § 45-7-308, MCA, is void for vagueness in the absence of a statutory

definition of “lawful excuse” and further impermissibly shifts the burden of proof onto a

criminal defendant who has no obligation to speak and would be forced to guess at what

would constitute a “lawful excuse.” After briefing and oral argument, the District Court

denied Trombley’s motion to dismiss on September 11, 2023.

¶5 Trombley entered into a global plea agreement whereby one of the charges he

pleaded to was Bail Jumping, reserving his right to appeal the denial of his motion to

dismiss. On September 21, 2023, Trombley admitted to the facts constituting the elements

3 of Bail Jumping, affirming that he failed to appear at his scheduled court hearing and that

he did not have a lawful excuse. The District Court sentenced Trombley to two years

incarceration at Montana State Prison in the instant case to run consecutively with his

sentences for the other offenses.

STANDARDS OF REVIEW

¶6 “Whether a statute is constitutional is a question of law” and we therefore “review

a district court’s application of the Constitution to determine if it is correct.” State v.

Stanko, 1998 MT 321, ¶ 14, 292 Mont. 192, 974 P.2d 1132. We begin our analysis with a

presumption that a challenged statute is constitutional. State v. Thirteenth Jud. Dist. Ct.,

2009 MT 163, ¶ 23, 350 Mont. 465, 208 P.3d 408; State v. Knudson, 2007 MT 324, ¶ 12,

340 Mont. 167, 174 P.3d 469. “The person challenging a statute’s constitutionality bears

the burden of proving it unconstitutional beyond a reasonable doubt.” Knudson, ¶ 12; see

also Thirteenth Jud. Dist. Ct., ¶ 23. Where possible, it is the duty of courts to construe

statutes to avoid an unconstitutional interpretation. Thirteenth Jud. Dist. Ct., ¶ 23; Stanko,

¶ 15.

¶7 Finally, we apply the de novo standard of review to mixed questions of law and fact

involving a motion to dismiss for lack of probable cause. State v. Giffin, 2021 MT 190,

¶ 11, 405 Mont. 78, 491 P.3d 1288 (citations omitted).

DISCUSSION

¶8 1. Whether Montana’s offense of Bail Jumping, codified at § 45-7-308, MCA, is unconstitutionally vague.

4 ¶9 Both the United States Constitution and the Montana Constitution provide that the

State shall not deprive a person of life, liberty, or property without due process of law.

U.S. Const. amend. XIV; Mont. Const. art. II, § 17. Essential to due process is that “an

enactment is void for vagueness if its prohibitions are not clearly defined.” Grayned v.

City of Rockford, 408 U.S. 104, 108, 92 S. Ct. 2294, 2298 (1972); see also Knudson, ¶ 18.

The doctrine of void for vagueness serves two critical principles. First, laws must give a

person of ordinary intelligence notice of what conduct is prohibited so that person may

conform his or her conduct to the law. State v. Dixon, 2000 MT 82, ¶ 28, 299 Mont. 165,

998 P.2d 544; Greyned, 408 U.S. at 108, 92 S. Ct. at 2298-99. “Vague laws may trap the

innocent by not providing fair warning.” State v. Dugan, 2013 MT 38, ¶ 66, 369 Mont. 39,

303 P.3d 755 (citations omitted). Second, to prevent arbitrary and discriminatory

enforcement, laws must provide explicit standards for those who apply them because a

vague law impermissibly delegates basic policy matters to policemen, judges, and juries

for resolution on an ad hoc and subjective basis, with the attendant dangers of arbitrary and

discriminatory application.

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Related

Colten v. Kentucky
407 U.S. 104 (Supreme Court, 1972)
Grayned v. City of Rockford
408 U.S. 104 (Supreme Court, 1972)
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Hoffman Estates v. Flipside, Hoffman Estates, Inc.
455 U.S. 489 (Supreme Court, 1982)
Kolender v. Lawson
461 U.S. 352 (Supreme Court, 1983)
State v. Nye
943 P.2d 96 (Montana Supreme Court, 1997)
State v. Stanko
1998 MT 321 (Montana Supreme Court, 1998)
State v. Dixon
2000 MT 82 (Montana Supreme Court, 2000)
State v. Tichenor
2002 MT 311 (Montana Supreme Court, 2002)
State v. Elliott
2002 MT 26 (Montana Supreme Court, 2002)
State v. Knudson
2007 MT 324 (Montana Supreme Court, 2007)
State v. Thirteenth Judicial District Court
2009 MT 163 (Montana Supreme Court, 2009)
State v. Dugan
2013 MT 38 (Montana Supreme Court, 2013)
State v. Smith
759 P.2d 372 (Washington Supreme Court, 1988)
State v. Vogel
315 N.W.2d 324 (South Dakota Supreme Court, 1982)
State v. Emmons
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Commonwealth v. Love
530 N.E.2d 176 (Massachusetts Appeals Court, 1988)
State v. Hilt
662 P.2d 52 (Washington Supreme Court, 1983)
State v. T. Giffin
2021 MT 190 (Montana Supreme Court, 2021)
State v. Mills
2018 MT 254 (Montana Supreme Court, 2018)

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2026 MT 59, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/state-v-trombley-mont-2026.