Board of Regents v. State ( 2022 )


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  •                                                                                            06/29/2022
    DA 21-0605
    Case Number: DA 21-0605
    IN THE SUPREME COURT OF THE STATE OF MONTANA
    
    2022 MT 128
    BOARD OF REGENTS OF HIGHER EDUCATION
    OF THE STATE OF MONTANA,
    Petitioner and Appellee,
    v.
    THE STATE OF MONTANA, by and through
    Austin Knudsen, in his official capacity as
    Attorney General of the State of Montana,
    Respondent and Appellant.
    APPEAL FROM:       District Court of the First Judicial District,
    In and For the County of Lewis and Clark, Cause No. BDV-2021-598
    Honorable Michael F. McMahon, Presiding Judge
    COUNSEL OF RECORD:
    For Appellant:
    Austin Knudsen, Montana Attorney General, Kristin Hansen, Lieutenant
    General, David M.S. Dewhirst, Solicitor General, Kathleen L. Smithgall,
    Assistant Solicitor General, Helena, Montana
    For Appellee:
    Martha Sheehy, Sheehy Law Firm, Billings, Montana
    Ali Bovingdon, MUS Chief Legal Counsel, Helena, Montana
    Kyle A. Gray, Brianne C. McClafferty, Emily J. Cross, Holland & Hart
    LLP, Billings, Montana
    For Amici Curiae:
    Palmer A. Hoovestal, Hoovestal Law Firm, PLLC, Helena, Montana
    (for Western Montana Fish & Game Association, Inc.)
    Logan P. Olson, O’Toole Law Firm, Plentywood, Montana
    (for Daniels County)
    Quentin M. Rhoades, Rhoades & Erickson PLLC, Missoula, Montana
    (for Montana Shooting Sports Association)
    Alexandria C. Kincaid, Attorney at Law, Emmett, Idaho
    Donald E.J. Kilmer, Jr., Attorney at Law, Caldwell, Idaho
    (for Second Amendment Foundation, Idaho Second Amendment Alliance,
    and Madison Society Foundation, Inc.)
    Greg Overstreet, Overstreet Law Group, Stevensville, Montana
    (for Rep. Seth Berglee and 81 Legislators)
    James H Goetz, Jeffrey J. Tierney, Goetz, Geddes & Gardner, P.C.,
    Bozeman, Montana
    Raph Graybill, Graybill Law Firm, P.C., Great Falls, Montana
    (for Students, Faculty & University Employees)
    Submitted on Briefs: May 25, 2022
    Decided: June 29, 2022
    Filed:
    c ir-641.—if
    __________________________________________
    Clerk
    2
    Justice Laurie McKinnon delivered the Opinion of the Court.
    ¶1     The State of Montana appeals from the December 13, 2021, Judgment and
    Permanent Injunction issued by the First Judicial District Court, Lewis and Clark County.
    We restate the issue on appeal as follows:
    Whether the Board of Regents of Higher Education possesses the exclusive authority
    to regulate firearms on college campuses.
    ¶2     We affirm.
    FACTUAL AND PROCEDURAL BACKGROUND
    ¶3     Since at least 2012, the Board of Regents of Higher Education (Board) has limited
    the use of and access to firearms on Montana University System (MUS) property through
    Board Policy 1006. That policy provides that the only individuals who may carry firearms
    on MUS campuses are “those persons who are acting in the capacity of police or security
    department officers” and have passed the requisite training or “those persons who are
    employees of a contracted private security company” and registered to carry firearms under
    Montana law.
    ¶4     In 2021, the Legislature enacted HB 102, which generally revises gun laws with
    respect to the open and concealed carry of firearms. Section 3 of HB 102 consists of several
    legislative findings relating to the Board and MUS and justifies the necessity of HB 102.
    Section 4 allows concealed carry “anywhere in the state” except for specific locations set
    forth by the Legislature. The Legislature did not extend an exception to the campuses and
    locations of the MUS. In Section 8 of HB 102, the Legislature amended § 45-3-111, MCA,
    regarding open carry, and deleted the prior MUS exemption, which did “not limit the
    3
    authority of [the Board] to regulate the carrying of weapons” on MUS campuses. These
    sections of HB 102 effectively eliminate Board Policy 1006 and extend both open and
    concealed carry of firearms to MUS campuses and locations.
    ¶5     In Section 5, HB 102 prohibits the Board “from enforcing or coercing compliance”
    with any rules diminishing or restricting the right to possess or access firearms,
    “notwithstanding any authority of the [Board] under Article X, section 9(2)(a), of the
    Montana constitution.” Section 6 further prohibits the Board, with a few exceptions, from
    “regulat[ing], restrict[ing], or plac[ing] an undue burden on the possession, transportation,
    or storage of firearms on or within [MUS] property” by persons eligible to possess firearms
    under Montana or federal law and who meet minimum safety and training requirements.
    Section 7 creates a cause of action “against any governmental entity” for “[a]ny person that
    suffers deprivation of rights enumerated under” HB 102.            Finally, the Legislature
    conditioned $1,000,000 in the MUS budget to implement the provisions of HB 102 upon
    the Board’s waiver of its right to challenge HB 102 in court. The Governor signed HB 102
    into law on February 18, 2021. All sections of HB 102, except Section 6, became effective
    upon its passage and approval. Section 6 became effective on June 1, 2021.
    ¶6     The Board filed a Petition for Declaratory Relief on May 27, 2021. The Board
    sought a declaration that HB 102 was unconstitutional as applied to the Board, the MUS,
    and the campuses of the MUS. The Board additionally sought injunctive relief precluding
    the application of HB 102’s provisions to the Board, the MUS, and its campuses. The
    District Court issued a temporary restraining order that same day. After holding a show
    4
    cause hearing, the District Court converted the temporary restraining order to a preliminary
    injunction on June 7, 2021.
    ¶7     The State filed a motion for summary judgment on September 15, 2021, arguing
    that the Board did not have exclusive authority to regulate firearms on campuses. The
    Board filed a cross-motion for summary judgment on October 18, 2021, responding that
    Montana’s Constitution vested full authority in the Board to regulate MUS campuses. The
    District Court held a hearing on the dueling motions on November 30, 2021, and issued its
    Order that same day.
    ¶8     The District Court concluded Sections 3 through 8 of HB 102 violated the Board’s
    constitutional authority and thus were unconstitutional as applied to the Board. The
    District Court denied the State’s motion for summary judgment, granted the Board’s
    cross-motion for summary judgment, and permanently enjoined enforcement of Sections 3
    through 8 of HB 102 against the Board and on MUS campuses. Judgment was entered on
    December 13, 2021. The State appeals.
    STANDARD OF REVIEW
    ¶9     We review the grant of summary judgment de novo, applying the same M. R. Civ.
    P. 56 criteria used by the district court. Albert v. City of Billings, 
    2012 MT 159
    , ¶ 15, 
    365 Mont. 454
    , 
    282 P.3d 704
    . Summary judgment is appropriate when the moving party
    demonstrates the absence of any genuine issues of material fact and stands entitled to
    judgment as a matter of law. Albert, ¶ 15. When there are cross-motions for summary
    judgment, a district court must evaluate each party’s motion on its own merits. Kilby Butte
    5
    Colony, Inc. v. State Farm Mut. Auto. Ins. Co., 
    2017 MT 246
    , ¶ 7, 
    389 Mont. 48
    , 
    403 P.3d 664
    . “On cross-motions for summary judgment, where the district court is not called to
    resolve factual disputes and only draw conclusions of law, we review the district court’s
    conclusions of law to determine whether they are correct.” Kilby Butte Colony, ¶ 7.
    ¶10    Statutes enjoy a presumption of constitutionality, and the party challenging a
    statute’s constitutionality bears the burden of proving it unconstitutional beyond a
    reasonable doubt. State v. Knudson, 
    2007 MT 324
    , ¶ 12, 
    340 Mont. 167
    , 
    174 P.3d 469
    .
    An as-applied challenge alleges that a particular application of a statute is unconstitutional
    and thus depends on the facts of a particular case. City of Missoula v. Mountain Water Co.,
    
    2018 MT 139
    , ¶ 25, 
    391 Mont. 422
    , 
    419 P.3d 685
    .
    DISCUSSION
    ¶11    The intent of the Framers controls our interpretation of a constitutional provision.
    Butte-Silver Bow Local Gov’t v. State, 
    235 Mont. 398
    , 403, 
    768 P.2d 327
    , 330 (1989). We
    must discern the Framers’ intent from the plain meaning of the language used and may
    resort to extrinsic aids only if the express language is vague or ambiguous. Nelson v. City
    of Billings, 
    2018 MT 36
    , ¶ 14, 
    390 Mont. 290
    , 
    412 P.3d 1058
    . Even in the context of clear
    and unambiguous language, however, we determine constitutional intent not only from the
    plain language, but also by considering the circumstances under which the Constitution
    was drafted, the nature of the subject matter the Framers faced, and the objective they
    sought to achieve. Nelson, ¶ 14. We must also consider that Montana’s Constitution is a
    6
    prohibition upon legislative power, rather than a grant of power. Board of Regents v.
    Judge, 
    168 Mont. 433
    , 444, 
    543 P.2d 1323
    , 1330 (1975) (citations omitted).
    ¶12    Under the 1889 Montana Constitution, the Legislature possessed absolute authority
    over the Board, which was vested with “general control and supervision of the State
    University . . . [with] powers and duties [as] prescribed by law.” Mont. Const. of 1889,
    art. XI, § 11. The 1972 Constitution removed the language subjecting the Board’s powers
    and duties to legislative control and instead vested the Board with the “full power,
    responsibility, and authority to supervise, coordinate, manage and control the [MUS] and
    . . . supervise and coordinate other public educational institutions assigned by law.” Mont.
    Const. art. X, § 9(2)(a). By the plain language of Mont. Const. art. X, § 9, the Board retains
    full independence over the MUS. However, the Board remains subject to the legislative
    powers to appropriate and audit, legislatively determined terms of office, and the oversight
    of additional educational institutions as prescribed by law. See Mont. Const. art. X,
    § 9(2)(b) (stating Board members are “appointed by the governor, and confirmed by the
    senate, to overlapping terms, as provided by law”); Mont. Const. art. X, § 9(2)(d) (“The
    funds and appropriations under the control of the [Board] are subject to the same audit
    provisions as are all other state funds.”). Legislative oversight likewise remained the case
    for the constitutionally created Board of Public Education. Mont. Const. art. X, § 9(3)
    (creating the Board of Public Education “to exercise general supervision over the public
    school system” and dictating that “[o]ther duties of the board shall be provided by law.”).
    7
    ¶13      The 1972 Constitutional Convention’s debate over Mont. Const. art. X, § 9, further
    helps determine the Framers’ intent regarding the Board’s constitutional authority. The
    debate reveals the Framers intended to place the MUS outside the reach of political changes
    of fortune and instead in the hands of a Board which remained directly responsible and
    accountable to Montanans.1 Indeed, the Framers recognized the importance of independent
    and unfettered academic freedom:
    [A] more subtle kind of coercion has made its appearance, and it is of the sort
    which is likely to become an even greater threat to the integrity of higher
    education in the future. This is the growing power of the centralized,
    bureaucratic state. Without overtly intending to curtail freedoms, the modern
    state has absorbed an increasing amount of power and control in the name of
    efficiency.
    Montana Constitutional Convention, Committee Proposals, February 22, 1972, Vol. II,
    p. 737. The contemporary understanding at the time of the Constitution’s ratification was
    “that the convention intended that the [Board] should be a quasi-independent state
    department subject only to indirect legislative control through appropriation, audit,
    confirmation of gubernatorial appointments and assignment of other educational
    1
    See Montana Constitutional Convention, Verbatim Transcript, March 11, 1972, Vol. VI, p. 2057:
    [I]f a board is created for higher education and given the responsibility for
    education but not the authority to carry out such responsibility, how can they be
    held accountable to the people? If the real authority for carrying out the policies of
    higher education is dispersed among the bureaucratic political frameworks of other
    agencies, who then is accountable to the public? A healthy post-secondary
    educational system must have freedom from political changes of fortune, while still
    maintaining its responsibility and accountability to the state.
    8
    institutions for their supervision.” Hugh V. Schaefer, The Legal Status of the Montana
    University System under the New Montana Constitution, 
    35 Mont. L. Rev. 189
    , 198 (1974).
    ¶14    Our jurisprudence has, to some extent, refined the boundaries of the Board’s
    constitutional independence. Shortly after the 1972 Constitution’s adoption, the Board and
    Legislature clashed over their respective constitutional authorities as related to conditional
    appropriations. In Judge, the Legislature set several conditions and restrictions on MUS
    funding. Judge, 168 Mont. at 437-41, 
    543 P.2d at 1326-29
    . We rejected the Board’s
    contention that it was effectively a fourth branch of government and thus not subject to any
    legislative power. Judge, 168 Mont. at 442-43, 
    543 P.2d at 1329
    . We noted that the Board
    was not mentioned “in either Article III, Section 1, which creates the three branches of
    government, nor in Article V, which limits the powers of the legislature.” Judge, 168
    Mont. at 451, 
    543 P.2d at 1333
    . However, we also noted that “the legislature is not
    mentioned in Article X, Section 9(2), which entrusts the government and control of the
    university system to the [Board].” Judge, 168 Mont. at 451, 
    543 P.2d at 1333
    . We framed
    a restriction on salary increases for MUS presidents as “whether this condition is a direction
    of academic policy or administration by the legislature” and looked to the impact of the
    Legislature’s decision “on the management and control exercised by the Regents.” Judge,
    168 Mont. at 453-54, 
    543 P.2d at 1334-35
    . We rejected the condition restricting salary
    increases because it “could ultimately affect academic, administrative and financial matters
    of substantial importance to the [MUS,]” and noted that it “specifically den[ied] the
    Regents the power to function effectively by setting its own personnel policies and
    9
    determining its own priorities.” Judge, 168 Mont. at 454, 
    543 P.2d at 1335
    .2 We deemed
    that “[i]nherent in the constitutional provision granting [the Board] their power is the
    realization that the Board of Regents is the competent body for determining priorities in
    higher education.” Judge, 168 Mont. at 454, 
    543 P.2d at 1335
    . Judge, thus, prescribes
    case-by-case consideration of the impact of legislative actions upon the Board’s
    constitutional authority.3
    ¶15    In Duck Inn v. Montana State University-Northern, we addressed a statute allowing
    the Board to lease MUS facilities for purposes of revenue production. Duck Inn, 
    285 Mont. 519
    , 525, 
    949 P.2d 1179
    , 1183 (1997). The issue on appeal was not whether the power to
    do so fell within the Board’s authority, but rather whether the statute constituted an
    unconstitutional delegation of legislative authority because it left leasing decisions to the
    Board’s discretion. Duck Inn, 285 Mont. at 525, 
    949 P.2d at 1182
     (“The Duck Inn . . .
    2
    Judge echoed the Framers’ debate over whether the Board’s activities would cover three general
    areas: academic, administrative, and financial matters as they affected the MUS. See Montana
    Constitutional Convention, Committee Proposals, February 22, 1972, Vol. II, p. 735 (original
    committee proposal language providing the Board “shall govern and control the academic,
    financial, and administrative affairs” of the MUS.). This language was subsequently deleted to
    “avoid certain types of objections. . . . [and] achieve a Board of Regents that has the essential
    powers to carry on the work of the University System.” Montana Constitutional Convention,
    Verbatim Transcript, March 13, 1972, Vol. VI, p. 2116.
    3
    Relying on Judge, Montana’s Attorney General issued an opinion in 1984 regarding the
    legislative appropriation of excess bond revenue raised by the Board. 40 Op. Att’y Gen. Mont.
    No. 67. The Attorney General concluded that, where legislative action would effectively eliminate
    the Board’s statutory and constitutional authority over matters concerning the MUS, the
    Legislature could not act. 40 Op. Att’y Gen. Mont. No. 67 at 266-67. Attorney General opinions
    are binding unless overruled by a state district court or the Montana Supreme Court. Section 2-
    15-501(7), MCA.
    10
    argu[es] that § 20-25-302, MCA (1993), constitutes an unconstitutional delegation of
    legislative power because it fails to prescribe a policy, standard or rule for implementing
    the powers delegated to an administrative agency.”). Recognizing that the Board has
    “authority over the [MUS] which is independent of that delegated by the legislature” and
    adopting United States Supreme Court precedent, we concluded the delegation was
    permissible. Duck Inn, 285 Mont. at 526, 
    949 P.2d at 1183
    .
    ¶16    The State reads Duck Inn broadly, arguing our holding there supports its position
    that the Legislature may enact laws concerning MUS property despite the Board’s inherent
    constitutional authority.4 Duck Inn, however, does not support the State’s position. The
    statute at issue in Duck Inn, § 20-25-302, MCA, predated the 1972 Constitution and thus
    arose under the 1889 Constitution, wherein the Board’s duties were “prescribed and
    regulated by law.” See Mont. Const. of 1889, art. XI, § 11; § 75-8503(5), RCM (1947).
    The delegation in Duck Inn, thus, did not infringe upon the Board’s inherent constitutional
    authority. Rather, the delegation worked in tandem with the Board’s authority, which the
    Court relied on to place less stringent limitations on the preexisting legislative delegation
    at issue. See Duck Inn, 285 Mont. at 526, 
    949 P.2d at 1183
    . Duck Inn, thus, did not address
    4
    The State further points to several laws applicable on MUS campuses as evidence that the
    Legislature may regulate the MUS. The State’s reliance on these laws presupposes conflict
    between the Board and the Legislature and attempts to misdirect from the issue at hand—whether
    the Legislature may infringe upon the Board’s constitutional authority, not whether the Legislature
    may regulate MUS as a general matter.
    11
    whether the Board possessed sole constitutional authority to make decisions regarding its
    properties.
    ¶17    Implied in the Board’s broad powers “is the power to do all things necessary and
    proper to the exercise of its general powers.” Sheehy v. Comm’r of Political Practices for
    Mont., 
    2020 MT 37
    , ¶ 29, 
    399 Mont. 26
    , 
    458 P.3d 309
    ; see also § 20-25-301, MCA.
    Indeed, the Board “has not only the power, but also the constitutional and statutory duty to
    ensure the health and stability of the MUS.” Sheehy, ¶ 29. Sheehy, our most recent case
    concerning the Board, addressed the applicability of the Montana Code of Ethics to the
    Board and whether a Board member’s actions in support of an MUS mill levy violated the
    Ethics Code. Sheehy, ¶ 3. We concluded that the Commissioner of Political Practices
    lacked jurisdiction to enforce the Ethics Code against members of the Board because the
    Commissioner’s jurisdiction extended to state officers, legislators, or state employees, not
    members of independent rulemaking bodies such as the Board. Sheehy, ¶¶ 23-25. We also
    concluded that public support of the mill levy fell within a Board member’s constitutional
    and statutory duties and thus did not violate the Ethics Code. Sheehy, ¶ 29. However, we
    were not asked to resolve the issue of whether the Legislature possessed the power to apply
    the Ethics Code to the Board. Moreover, the Ethics Code is a set of neutral statewide laws
    prohibiting conflicts of interest by officers and employees of state government, not a set of
    laws specifically singling out the Board or its constitutional powers and duties. Sheehy,
    12
    ¶¶ 16-18. Unlike Sheehy, HB 102 is aimed directly at the Board and squarely implicates
    the Board’s constitutional authority. The State’s reliance on Sheehy is unavailing. 5
    ¶18    The State asserts the Board’s constitutional authority is limited to academic,
    financial, and administrative matters and that HB 102 revoked any previously delegated
    power to regulate firearms. The Board counters that its constitutionally granted authority
    necessarily includes the power to regulate firearms on MUS campuses and that the
    Legislature, through HB 102, infringed upon this authority.
    ¶19    We agree that HB 102 unconstitutionally infringes upon the Board’s responsibility
    to oversee the MUS. The Board and the Legislature derive their respective power from the
    same authority—the Montana Constitution. The Constitution defines the powers of each
    and imposes limitations upon those powers. Absent language to the contrary, a direct
    power conferred upon one necessarily excludes the existence of such power in the other.
    This fundamental premise lies at the very root of the constitutional system of government.
    See, e.g., Marbury v. Madison, 5 U.S. (1 Cranch) 137, 176-77, 
    2 L. Ed. 60
    , 73 (1803) (“The
    distinction, between a government with limited and unlimited powers, is abolished, if those
    limits do not confine the persons on whom they are imposed, and if acts prohibited and
    acts allowed, are of equal obligation.”). The Board, and MUS, are not mentioned in Mont.
    Const. art. V, which imparts the legislative power, and corresponding limitations, upon the
    5
    The State’s attempts to frame HB 102 as a generally applicable safety law are likewise unavailing,
    as the amicus brief of 81 state legislators who supported HB 102 states that the Legislature
    specifically aimed to counter Board Policy 1006.
    13
    Legislature. However, nor is the Legislature mentioned in Mont. Const. art. X, § 9(2),
    which entrusts the Board with the full governance and control of the MUS. No reasonable
    rule of construction permits either body to encroach upon or exercise the powers
    constitutionally conferred upon the other. Application of HB 102 to MUS, and the Board,
    would give the Legislature control and supervision over MUS campuses and render the
    Board ministerial officers with no true authority other than to effectuate the Legislature’s
    will. Such application directly contradicts the constitutionally granted powers of the Board
    and undermines the Board’s ability to govern the MUS, while expanding the Legislature’s
    power in contravention of the express constitutional language of Mont. Const. art. X,
    § 9(2). Montana’s Constitution serves as a limitation on the Legislature, not a grant of
    power. See Judge, 168 Mont. at 444, 
    543 P.2d at 1330
    . Exercise of the legislative power
    to undermine the constitutional powers of the Board cannot stand.
    ¶20    The State relies upon Judge to argue the Board’s authority remains limited to
    academic, administrative, and financial matters concerning the MUS.           The Board’s
    constitutional authority includes those matters. However, contrary to the State’s argument,
    Board Policy 1006 relates directly to the academic and administrative operations of the
    MUS. Applying, as it does, solely to individuals while they are on MUS campuses or
    properties, Board Policy 1006 reflects the Board’s judgment on an issue undoubtedly
    within the scope of its constitutional authority under Mont. Const. art. X, § 9(2)(a)—the
    14
    appropriate means by which to maintain a safe, secure, and orderly educational
    environment in its classrooms and on its campuses and properties.6
    ¶21    While the mission of the MUS remains teaching, research, and public service, the
    Board has determined through Board Policy 1006 that the presence of firearms on MUS
    campuses presents an unacceptable risk to a safe and secure educational environment, thus
    undermining these goals.       The Board manages instructional facilities, laboratories,
    recreational facilities, student residential housing, food services, and a host of other
    operations. Students, faculty, and support personnel rely on the Board to assess security
    risks and make decisions that will enhance the safety, security, and stability of the
    educational environment as a whole, consistent with the MUS mission. Thus, maintaining
    a safe and secure educational environment falls squarely within the Board’s constitutional
    authority under Mont. Const. art. X, § 9(2)(a), affording the Board the power to protect
    MUS campuses so that the educational and administrative goals of the MUS are realized.
    Board Policy 1006 arises from this necessity and reflects the Board’s assessment that
    firearms threaten the safety and security of the educational environment it strives to obtain.
    In addition to limiting the carrying of firearms on MUS campuses, Board Policy 1006
    delegates the control and direction of campus police and security departments to the
    presidents of each MUS campus. It is particularly germane and necessary to the Board’s
    6
    Answering the narrow issue on appeal—the scope of the Board’s authority under Mont. Const.
    art. X, § 9(2)(a)—does not require any further substantive assessment of Board Policy 1006, which
    is not at issue in this case.
    15
    constitutional authority that it can manage MUS campuses by implementing policies it
    believes will minimize the loss of life and thereby strengthen its educational environment.
    While the mission of the Board is education, the reality is that campus safety and security
    is an integral responsibility of the Board and its mission.
    ¶22    Finally, we note that Board Policy 1006 recognizes that Montana is not immune
    from the catastrophic loss that follows the use of firearms on school campuses. In State v.
    Byers, 
    261 Mont. 17
    , 23-24, 
    861 P.2d 860
    , 864 (1993) (overruled on other grounds by State
    v. Rothacher, 
    272 Mont. 303
    , 
    901 P.2d 82
     (1995)), this Court affirmed Byers’s deliberate
    homicide conviction for shooting and killing two students in their dorm room at Montana
    State University. We likewise have recognized, in Peschke v. Carroll College, 
    280 Mont. 331
    , 337-38, 
    929 P.2d 874
    , 878 (1996), that a college could breach its duty to provide a
    reasonably secure and safe place to work. Peschke involved a fatal shooting on Carroll
    College’s campus which a jury determined did not constitute a breach of the College’s duty
    to provide a safe and secure work environment. Peschke, 280 Mont. at 338-39, 
    929 P.2d at 878
    . This Court affirmed the jury’s verdict that there was no breach of the College’s
    duty. Peschke, 280 Mont. at 339, 
    929 P.2d at 878
    .
    ¶23    Conversely, with limited exceptions, HB 102 prohibits the Board from regulating
    the possession, transportation, or storage of firearms on MUS campuses. By expressly
    proscribing the Board from regulating firearms on MUS campuses, HB 102 functions as a
    legislative directive of MUS policy and undermines the management and control exercised
    by the Board to set its own policies and determine its own priorities. The Board, not the
    16
    Legislature, is constitutionally vested with full authority to determine the priorities of the
    MUS. See Judge, 168 Mont. at 454, 
    543 P.2d at 1335
    . HB 102 sought to undermine this
    constitutional authority and thus cannot be applied to the Board and MUS properties.
    ¶24    Our holding does not, as the State contends, elevate the Board and MUS to a fourth
    branch of government or provide the Board veto power over state laws it disagrees with.
    Rather, we conclude that, where legislative action infringes upon the constitutionally
    granted powers of the Board to supervise, coordinate, manage, and control the MUS, the
    legislative power must yield.
    CONCLUSION
    ¶25    The Board is constitutionally vested with full responsibility to supervise, coordinate,
    manage, and control the MUS and its properties. The regulation of firearms on MUS
    campuses falls squarely within this authority. As applied to the Board, Sections 3 through
    8 of HB 102 unconstitutionally infringe upon the Board’s constitutionally derived
    authority. The District Court’s Judgment is affirmed.
    /S/ LAURIE McKINNON
    We concur:
    /S/ MIKE McGRATH
    /S/ JAMES JEREMIAH SHEA
    /S/ BETH BAKER
    /S/ DIRK M. SANDEFUR
    /S/ JIM RICE
    /S/ JOHN W. PARKER
    District Judge
    sitting in place of Justice Ingrid Gustafson
    17