By Dave Workman
Editor-in-Chief
Montana Attorney General Austin Knudsen was recently elected by a unanimous vote to head the Republican Attorneys General Association (RAGA) for 2026, which could be significant for the Second Amendment community.
Knudsen, a fifth generation Montana native, has often put together coalitions of fellow attorneys general to file amicus briefs supporting Second Amendment cases, including the important California case of Rhode v. Bonta, which challenges California’s requirement for background checks on ammunition purchases.
“I am honored to be selected by my colleagues to lead the Republican Attorneys General Association during the most critical year in our organization’s history,” Knudsen said in a statement to the media. “We’re facing 30 AG races, which means we must build upon 2025’s record fundraising to ensure we have the necessary resources to defend incumbents and take advantage of opportunities to grow our majority. As Republican Attorneys General, we are both Freedom’s Frontline and America’s Last Line of Defense. To successfully answer that call, we’ll continue to work with the Trump Administration to preserve, promote, and protect America’s future while also keeping our communities safe from threats of liberalism and lawlessness.”
Nebraska Attorney General Mike Hilgers was elected as Vice Chairman.
Knudsen is an accomplished hunter, shooter and strong Second Amendment advocate. He was recently in the news for being cleared of three professional misconduct allegations by the Montana Supreme Court, which also said in its ruling his due process rights had been violated during a lengthy investigation process.
The ruling, as noted by the Daily Montanan, found he had violated two codes of conduct. But the state high court declined to suspend him from practicing law for 90 days.
In a statement, Knudsen said, “I appreciate the Supreme Court bringing this frivolous complaint to a long-overdue conclusion. We’ve said it from the very beginning, this was nothing more than a political stunt.”
The newspaper said the ruling found that the Office of Disciplinary Counsel “failed to show Knudsen, a Republican in his second term in office, made statements that were knowingly false when he criticized the court as alleged.”
“Each of his statements critical of the court was either a factual statement, which ODC failed to prove was false, or a statement of opinion,” the order reportedly said.
