Rick Hill turns to court in dispute over donation

HELENA (AP) — Former Republican candidate for governor Rick Hill is asking a federal court to intervene in the complaint over a $500,000 campaign donation he received last year.

Hill says he wants the court to block new Commissioner of Political Practices Jonathan Motl from acting on the complaint filed by Gov. Steve Bullock's campaign manager.

The donation came after U.S. District Judge Charles Lovell briefly struck down Montana's limits on campaign donations amid an argument the limits are unconstitutionally low.

Lee Newspapers of Montana reports that Hill's campaign filed a complaint Tuesday in federal court saying it "reasonably fears" that Motl will wrongly issue penalties.

Motl says the complaint is premature because he plans no action until a federal appeals court issues a final ruling on the legality of Montana's donation limits.