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BOZEMAN - In the shadow of a busy week of legal moves involving campaign finance questions, Rick Hill and Steve Bullock will debate before a live statewide television audience tonight.

The debate will take place at the Riverside Country Club in Bozeman at 9 p.m. The debate will air on all seven Montana Television Network Stations including KBZK.

CLICK HERE TO WATCH THE DEBATE LIVE.

Helena District Court will be the site of another showdown between Hill and Bullock on Monday when the two campaigns lock horns before District Judge Kathy Seeley.

At issue, the legality of a half million dollar donation to Rick Hill's campaign from the Montana Republican Party.

Steve Bullock's campaign sued last week to prevent Hill from spending the $500,000 donation.
That lawsuit resulted in a temporary restraining order against the Hill campaign and forced Hill to pull his TV advertising bought with the disputed cash.

Conservative groups tried to short-circuit the district court order, asking Helena Federal Judge Charles Lovell to intervene, but today Lovell denied that request.

So as things stand now, the next move will come at a show cause hearing before Judge Seeley on Monday morning In Helena.

If you recall, it was Judge Lovell who ruled Montana's campaign contribution law unconstitutional in early October.

Six days later his ruling was put on hold by the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals.

It was during that 6-day time frame that Hill received the $500,000 donation.