Commissioner rules for Fox in campaign complaint

HELENA (AP) — The Montana commissioner of political practices has dismissed a citizen's complaint that Attorney General Tim Fox improperly accepted $47,000 in excess campaign contributions during his 2012 campaign.

Commissioner Jonathan Motl said in a decision Friday that Fox accepted the money after a federal judge struck down the state's campaign contribution limits on Oct. 3, 2012.

The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals reinstated the limits six days later, but Fox did not return the money until Oct. 25.

Motl ruled that Fox did nothing wrong in waiting to return the money until then, as other court proceedings connected to the case were still underway.

The 9th Circuit has not yet made a final determination on whether the state's limits are constitutional.