{"data":{"id":"us-mt/46-16-131","jurisdiction":"us-mt","citation":"46-16-131","heading":"Justifiable use of force -- burden of proof.","body":"In a criminal trial, when the defendant has offered evidence of justifiable use of force, the state has the burden of proving beyond a reasonable doubt that the defendant's actions were not justified.","path":["TITLE 46. CRIMINAL PROCEDURE","CHAPTER 16. TRIAL","Part 1. General Provisions"],"source_url":"https://mca.legmt.gov/bills/mca/title_0460/chapter_0160/part_0010/section_0310/0460-0160-0010-0310.html","current_through":"Montana Code Annotated 2025","vintage":"","retrieved_at":"2026-09-14T04:55:48Z","sha256":"24dd99d7e8a05873ad52f07c26cfe285c2b60f3224b4446361575d26ffa9ae54","source_id":"us-mt","stale":false,"prev":"us-mt/46-16-130","next":"us-mt/46-16-201"},"notice":"GroundRules: Original legal text. Not legal advice."}