# Montana Table of Authorities: Supreme Court Brief Guide

> Montana Rule 12 requires an alphabetical case table with statutes, other authorities and brief pages. Review answer briefs, cross-appeals and Word export.

*Updated: 2026-10-14*

**Montana Supreme Court appellant briefs need a table of cases, statutes and other cited authorities, with references to the brief pages where they appear.** M. R. App. P. 12(1)(a) expressly alphabetizes cases and places the tables at the start of the listed brief contents. Rule 12(2) extends that requirement to an appellee's answer brief.

[Build a standard-format table of authorities from your PDF](/table-of-authorities-generator?court=generic#tool), then manually review Montana's requirements. There is no Montana preset. The official State Law Library compilation was read October 14, 2026; its cover identifies October 12, 2021 as the last amendment date. That document date is not the date of this guide's source check.

**Fast facts for Montana Supreme Court briefs**

- Rule 1(2) says these rules govern proceedings before the Supreme Court; this is not a universal district-court table requirement.
- Rule 12(1)(a): tables of contents and authorities first, followed by the issues and other specified contents.
- The authorities table includes statutes and other authorities as well as alphabetically arranged cases.
- Rule 12(2) incorporates paragraphs (1)(a) through (h) for the appellee's answer brief, with specified narrative exceptions.
- Rule 12(4) requires combined documents for cross-appeal briefing. Review the whole combined document, not just one argument segment.
- Rule 11(4)(d) excludes the table of contents and table of citations from the stated word and page limits.

> “A table of contents, with page references, and a table of cases (alphabetically arranged), statutes and other authorities cited, with references to the pages of the brief where they are cited” — M. R. App. P. 12(1)(a)

## Answer briefs, replies and combined cross-appeal documents

The answer-brief requirement is explicit: Rule 12(2) incorporates the table paragraph along with the other principal-brief contents through (h). Its exceptions for the statement of issues or case do not eliminate the tables. Build the answer table from the answer itself, because its citations and pagination differ from the opening brief.

Rule 12(3) says a reply must be confined to new matter raised by the appellee and permits only one reply regardless of the number of appellee briefs. It does not separately repeat the table requirement or expressly incorporate paragraph (1)(a). Do not convert that silence into a universal exemption or attribute federal reply language to Montana. Check court instructions and the actual order for your filing.

For cross-appeals, Rule 12(4) combines the cross-appellant's brief with its answer, and the appellant's cross-appeal answer with its reply. An authority appearing in either part of a combined document belongs in the review of that document's table. Reusing separate draft tables risks omitting half the citations or referring to pagination that no longer exists.

**Montana requirement and review matrix**

| Component | Rule read | Review task |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Opening brief | 12(1)(a) | Include cases, statutes and other authorities; cases alphabetical; references to this brief's pages. |
| Appellee's answer | 12(2) | Follow the incorporated table requirement using the answer's own citations and pages. |
| Ordinary reply | 12(3) | Review specific instructions; the paragraph read does not expressly repeat a table command. |
| Combined cross-appeal brief | 12(4) | Audit authorities across both parts and the final combined pagination. |
| Appendix | 12(1)(i) and 12(5) | Its contents table locates documents; it is not the brief's authority table. |
| Brief-length calculation | 11(4)(d) | Keep excluded table pages separate from the counted material; still paginate accurately. |

## Three different kinds of page reference

The authority table points to pages of your brief. A reporter pinpoint identifies material within a cited case; a record citation identifies evidence or proceedings below. Rule 12(9) separately requires particular record parts and their specific pages. Those record references should not be substituted for the table's brief-page column. Likewise, an appendix contents table identifies attached documents, not every legal authority cited in the argument.

The case-table sentence does not prescribe a complete non-case category sequence, a citation manual or a passim policy. Clear headings for statutes, constitutional provisions, court rules and other sources can improve navigation, but distinguish that practical organization from an express rule command. Check citations in the standards-of-review section as well as the argument: Rule 12(1)(e) calls for authority supporting each standard, and those citations are easily missed when reviewing only substantive argument pages.

**From your Montana PDF to editable Word**

- **Finalize the document's structure.** Export the opening, answer or combined brief with intended printed page numbers. Keep the matching .docx and distinguish appendix pagination from brief pagination.
- **Open standard format.** Use the [Table of Authorities generator](/table-of-authorities-generator?court=generic#tool), then confirm actual court/settings. Recognized courts or a sample can override the entry selection. Montana has no named preset.
- **Review all authority entries.** Check full citations, alphabetical cases and non-case categories. Reconcile short forms and Id., merge real duplicates and add missed authorities. Verify each listed printed page against the PDF, including standards-of-review citations.
- **Export the appropriate Word result.** PDF-only downloads an editable table for manual insertion. Matching Word plus a text-layer PDF can insert ordinary table text into the brief. DOCX-only creates Word fields for Word for Windows instead.
- **Re-export and check references again.** Insertion and later edits can shift pagination. Compare every reference with the final PDF and update if necessary. Separately check Rule 11, current filing directions and case-specific orders; a table export does not check the whole filing.

> **A standard-format start for Montana:** Brief Authority is free, needs no account and processes your files on your device without uploading them. Montana uses standard format, not a state preset. Review authorities and pages before filing. The app does not restyle citations, format the entire brief or add e-filing bookmarks, and the export is not a compliance guarantee.

[Build a Montana table in standard format](/table-of-authorities-generator?court=generic#tool)

Free. No account. Your brief stays in your browser, never uploaded.

## Frequently asked

**Does the appellee's answer need a table?**

Yes. Rule 12(2) incorporates paragraph (1)(a). Its specified narrative exceptions do not remove the authority table.

**Does Rule 12(3) expressly require a reply table?**

The text read confines replies to new matter and addresses reply number and length, but does not repeat the table command. Check applicable instructions; this is not a claim that all replies are exempt.

**Which table should a combined cross-appeal brief use?**

Review a table covering the cited authorities in the whole combined document, with its final pagination. Separate draft segments can have duplicate entries and inconsistent page references.

**Are table pages counted toward the brief limit?**

Rule 11(4)(d) excludes the table of contents and table of citations from the stated word and page limits. That exclusion does not excuse inaccurate references or missing authorities.

**Does this require tables in district-court memoranda?**

No such general trial-court requirement is established here. Rule 1 scopes these appellate rules to Supreme Court proceedings. Check the relevant district-court rule, local requirements and order.

**Official source and document date**

- [State Law Library of Montana: Rules of Appellate Procedure](https://courts.mt.gov/external/rules/mtr_app_pro.pdf): Official PDF read October 14, 2026, including Rules 1, 11(4), 12(1)-(5) and 12(9). Cover states last amendment October 12, 2021, administrative file AF 07-0016. Check later orders and current clerk instructions before filing; the check date does not establish a 2026 edition.

**Related guides**

- [Table of authorities by state](/table-of-authorities-by-state)
- [Table of authorities format](/table-of-authorities-format)
- [Create a table from a PDF](/table-of-authorities-from-pdf)