How Montana judges got on the bench

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
1^st 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.

2^nd District (Silver Bow)

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

3^rd District (Powell/Deer Lodge/Granite)

• Ray Dayton: Elected in 2006

4^th 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.

5^th District (Jefferson/Madison/Beaverhead)

• Luke Berger: Appointed by Bullock in 2017.

6^th District (Park/Sweet Grass)

• Brenda Gilbert: Elected in 2012.

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

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

8^th 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.

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

• Bob Olsen: Elected in 2012.

10th District (Fergus/Judith Basin/Petroleum)

• Jon Oldenburg: Elected in 2012.

11^th District (Flathead)

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

12^th District (Hill/Liberty/Chouteau)

• Kaydee Ruiz: Appointed by Bullock in 2019.

13^th 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.

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

• Randal Spaulding: Elected in 1998.

15^th District (Daniels/Sheridan/Roosevelt)

• David Cybulski: Elected in 1994

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

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

17^th District (Blaine/Philips/Valley)

• Yvonne Laird: Appointed by Bullock in 2016.

18^th District (Gallatin)

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

19^th District (Lincoln)

• Matthew Cuffe: Elected in 2016

20^th District (Lake/Sanders)

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

21^st District (Ravalli)

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

22^nd District (Big Horn/Stillwater/Carbon)

• Matthew Wald: Elected in 2018.

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