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How Montana judges got on the bench

About half elected; half appointed
MT Supreme Court.jpg
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Montana has seven Supreme Court justices and 49 state District Court judges. The governor appoints these judges when a vacancy occurs in the middle of their term, but otherwise they are elected or re-elected.

Supreme Court justices have eight-year terms; district judges have six-year terms.

Below is a list of these judges and their respective counties, and how they got on the bench.

Montana Supreme Court justices

  • Beth Baker: Elected in 2010, re-elected in 2018.
  • Ingrid Gustafson: Appointed by Democratic Gov. Steve Bullock in 2017; re-elected in 2018.
  • Mike McGrath: Elected in 2008; re-elected in 2016.
  • Laurie McKinnon: Elected in 2012; re-elected in 2020.
  • Jim Rice: Appointed by Republican Gov. Judy Martz in 2001; re-elected three times.
  • Dirk Sandefur: Elected in 2016.
  • James Shea: Appointed by Bullock in 2014; re-elected in 2016.

State District Judges
1st District (Lewis & Clark/Broadwater)

  • Mike Menahan: Elected in 2012.
  • Kathy Seeley: Elected in 2008.
  • Mike McMahon: Elected in 2018.
  • Chris Abbott: Appointed by Bullock in 2020.

2nd District (Silver Bow)

  • Kurt Krueger: Elected in 2000.
  • Bob Whelan: Elected in 2018.

3rd District (Powell/Deer Lodge/Granite)

  • Ray Dayton: Elected in 2006

4th District (Missoula/Mineral)

  • Dusty Deschamps: Appointed by Democratic Gov. Brian Schweitzer in 2006.
  • John Larson: Appointed by Republican Gov. Marc Racicot in 1993
  • Leslie Halligan: Appointed by Bullock in 2015.
  • Jason Marks: Appointed by Bullock in 2019.
  • Shane Vannatta: Appointed by Bullock in 2019.

5th District (Jefferson/Madison/Beaverhead)

  • Luke Berger: Appointed by Bullock in 2017.

6th District (Park/Sweet Grass)

  • Brenda Gilbert: Elected in 2012.

7th District (Dawson, McCone, Prairie, Richland, Wibaux)

  • Katherine Bidegaray: Elected in 2002.
  • Olivia Rieger: Appointed by Bullock in 2017.

8th District (Cascade)

  • Elizabeth Best: Appointed by Bullock in 2016.
  • John Kutzman: Appointed by Bullock in 2015.
  • John Parker: Appointed by Bullock in 2017.
  • David Grubich: Appointed by Republican Gov. Greg Gianforte in 2021.

9th District (Glacier/Toole/Pondera/Teton)

  • Bob Olsen: Elected in 2012.

10th District (Fergus/Judith Basin/Petroleum)

  • Jon Oldenburg: Elected in 2012.

11th District (Flathead)

  • Robert Allison: Elected in 2012.
  • Heidi Ulbricht: Elected in 2012.
  • Dan Wilson: Elected in 2016.
  • Amy Eddy: Appointed by Bullock in 2015.

12th District (Hill/Liberty/Chouteau)

  • Kaydee Ruiz: Appointed by Bullock in 2019.

13th District (Yellowstone)

  • Greg Todd: Appointed by Racicot in 2000.
  • Rod Souza: Elected 2014.
  • Mary Jane Knisely: Elected in 2010.
  • Jessica Fehr: Appointed by Bullock in 2018.
  • Don Harris: Appointed by Bullock in 2017.
  • Michael Moses: Appointed by Bullock in 2014.
  • Colette Davies: Elected in 2018.
  • Ashley Harada: Elected in 2018.

14th District (Golden Valley/Musselshell/Wheatland/Meagher)

  • Randal Spaulding: Elected in 1998.

15th District (Daniels/Sheridan/Roosevelt)

  • David Cybulski: Elected in 1994

16th District (Carter/Custer/Fallon/Garfield/Rosebud/Treasure/Powder River)

  • Nickolas Murnion: Appointed by Bullock in 2016.
  • Michael Hayworth: Appointed by Bullock in 2013.

17th District (Blaine/Philips/Valley)

  • Yvonne Laird: Appointed by Bullock in 2016.

18th District (Gallatin)

  • John Brown: Appointed by Schweitzer in 2005
  • Peter Ohman: Appointed by Bullock in 2020.
  • Rienne McElyea: Appointed by Bullock in 2016

19th District (Lincoln)

  • Matthew Cuffe: Elected in 2016

20th District (Lake/Sanders)

  • Jim Manley: Appointed by Bullock in 2013.
  • Kim Christopher: Elected in 2000.

21st District (Ravalli)

  • Howard Recht: Appointed by Bullock in 2019.
  • Jennifer Lint: Appointed by Bullock in 2018.

22nd District (Big Horn/Stillwater/Carbon)

  • Matthew Wald: Elected in 2018.

Bullock appointees shape Montana’s judiciary – but it’s a diverse lot