Montana
Former prosecutor
Former public defender
Both a former prosecutor & public defender
Both a former prosecutor & civil rights lawyer
Montana Supreme Court By The Numbers:
- 7 total seats
- 0 current vacancies
- 4 prosecutors
- 4 public defenders
- 1 Justice is both a former prosecutor & public defender
- 1 Justice is both a former prosecutor & civil rights lawyer
- 0 Justices have other indigent defense experience
- 1 civil rights lawyer
How Members of the Montana Supreme Court are Selected:
Nonpartisan Election, Retention Election
Justices are selected and re-selected in nonpartisan elections to eight-year terms. Unopposed incumbents must stand for a retention election to win another term. Interim selections to fill vacancies that occur between elections are made by governor appointment and require a majority confirmation vote in the state senate.
Selection method sources:
Ballotpedia, Judicial Election Methods By State; Brennan Center for Justice, Judicial Selection: An Interactive Map
2022 Non-Partisan Elections:
| Current Justice | Justice Background | Incumbent/Open | Primary | General |
| James A. Rice | Public Defender, Private Practice | Incumbent | 6/7/22 | 11/8/22 |
| Ingrid Gustafson | Public Defender, Private Practice, Trial Judge | Incumbent | 6/7/22 | 11/8/22 |