Civil Liberties

Jon believes strongly in protecting Montanans’ constitutional rights, including the right to bear arms and right to privacy. He has voted to protect Americans against all forms of federal government overreach that violate these precious Constitutional freedoms.

As a gun owner, Jon is a strong supporter of the Second Amendment. He has supported bipartisan legislation to keep guns out of the hands of criminals, terrorist, and those found by a judge to be a danger to themselves or others. He believes that we can keep our kids and communities safe without infringing on the Second Amendment rights of law-abiding gun owners. That is why he has also consistently voted against any type of database or registry of gun owners, opposed legislation that would prevent an individual from purchasing or possessing firearms without meaningful due process, and broken with his own party to oppose banning assault weapons.

Jon is also a strong protector of the right to privacy and has voted to prevent the government from intruding into the lives of Americans. He has fought hard to oppose mass government surveillance programs and efforts to allow law enforcement to access American’s personal information in violation of the Fourth Amendment.

Jon has also fought to protect a woman’s right to make her own private health care decisions, and to keep politicians from telling Montanans how to live their lives.   

Lastly, Jon has worked hard to ensure that no American is discriminated against because of who they are or where they live. He is a cosponsor of the Equality Act, which would defend any Montanan from discrimination in core areas of everyday life including education, housing, and the use of taxpayer dollars.

Tester Statement on Bipartisan Confirmation of Montanan Anthony Johnstone to Ninth Circuit
Following the bipartisan confirmation of Montanan Anthony Johnstone to the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, U.S. Senator Jon Tester issued the following statement: “Montanans expect their judges to apply the law without bias, in a common sense way – and...
Tester Addresses Montana State Legislature
Tester: “This body has an opportunity to truly make sure Montana is an affordable place to live and to work” U.S. Senator Jon Tester (D-Mont.) addressed the Montana State Legislature today, urging lawmakers to use Montana common sense to make...
Tester Statement on Montanan Anthony Johnstone’s 9th Circuit Nomination Clearing Senate Judiciary Committee
U.S. Senator Jon Tester today released the following statement after passage of Anthony Johnstone’s nomination to be a Judge for the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals through the Senate Judiciary Committee on an 11-10 vote. The nomination now awaits a...