Montana Attorney General Austin Knudsen is ordering Gallatin County Attorney Audrey Cromwell to drop a lawsuit against him.
Knudsen sent a letter to Cromwell Monday, invoking his supervisory authority and directing her to dismiss the case.
The lawsuit was filed three days ago.
Knudsen is also directing Cromwell to terminate her outside legal counsel at the Graybill Law Firm.
In a letter responding to the Attorney General, Cromwell’s attorney, Raph Graybill, says the matter has been brought before the Montana Supreme Court.
Here's the letter:
Re: Supervisory Control in Cromwell v. Knudsen, OP 26-0292
Dear Mr. Graybill and Ms. Cromwell: Pursuant to Mont. Code Ann. § 2-15-501(5), I am exercising supervisory authority over the Gallatin County Attorney in OP 26-0292, Audrey Cromwell, in her official capacity as Gallatin County Attorney, v. Austin Knudsen, in his official capacity as Montana Attorney General, filed on May 1, 2026.
You are hereby ordered and directed to dismiss this matter immediately. The Gallatin County Attorney’s Office is further directed to terminate its representation agreement with the Graybill Law Firm.
Best regards,
AUSTIN KNUDSEN
Montana Attorney General
Here is the letter from Graybill:
Re: OP 26-0292
Attorney General Knudsen:
I am in receipt of your letter dated May 4, 2026.
OP 26-0292 raises, among other issues, the lawfulness of your decision to assert supervisory control over
County Attorney Cromwell’s office. That question is now before the Montana Supreme Court, which will
decide whether to exercise its jurisdiction. This office is unaware of any authority stating that an Attorney
General’s decision to invoke supervisory control under § 2-15-501(5), MCA, is immune from judicial
review.
Cromwell will continue to retain independent counsel to assist her in seeking the Court’s jurisdiction and
declaration of the law.
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Attorney General Knudsen invokes supervisory control over Gallatin County Attorney’s Office
Posted 2:01 PM, Apr 30, 2026, and last updated 6:04 PM, Apr 30, 2026
PRESS RELEASE: MONTANA DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE, 4-30-2026
HELENA – Attorney General Austin Knudsen invoked supervisory control over Gallatin County Attorney Audrey Cromwell, following her failure to follow the law and issue a memorandum clarifying that Gallatin County may share confidential criminal justice information (CCJI) with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) for civil immigration enforcement functions.
On April 2, Attorney General Knudsen sent a letter to Cromwell demanding she rescind her unlawful policy refusing to recognize ICE as a “criminal justice agency” and share CCJI with them. She has since doubled down on her policy by refusing to do so.
“The cognitive dissonance in your reply is astounding. You have now sworn under oath that there is no policy regarding sharing CCJI with ICE. Yet you also maintain that, under your novel interpretation of Montana law, Gallatin County will not share CCJI with ICE for civil immigration enforcement purposes without a court order. Both things cannot be true,” Attorney General Knudsen wrote.
Attorney General Knudsen is exercising limited supervisory control over Cromwell’s office, directing her to:
- Share confidential criminal justice information with ICE for all lawful purposes, including civil administration and immigration matters.
- Produce all documents, records, and communications related to the matter and specified in Attorney General Knudsen’s April 30 letter.
Cromwell has 30 days to produce the records.
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