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Judges appointed by Steve Bullock
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This page lists judges appointed by Steve Bullock (D) during his term as Governor of Montana. As of today, the total number of Bullock appointees was 18. For the full profile of Bullock, click here.
Ballotpedia provides comprehensive coverage of the 100 largest cities in America by population. Some Montana judges are outside of that coverage scope. As a result, this page does not provide an exhaustive list of all judges appointed by Gov. Bullock.
Appointment process
In Montana, the governor appoints judges to fill midterm vacancies until the next general election. A nominating commission screens the applicants and presents the governor with a list from which to choose an appointee. The appointee must then be confirmed by the state Montana Senate prior to taking office.[1]
Appointed judges
The tables below list the governor's appointees to the courts across the state.
State Courts
Supreme Court
| Name | Court | Active |
|---|---|---|
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Montana Supreme Court |
January 1, 2018 - Present |
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Montana Supreme Court |
June 2, 2014 - Present |
Other State Courts
| Name | Court | Active |
|---|---|---|
|
Montana Workers' Compensation Court |
September 8, 2014 - September 8, 2023 |
Local Courts
| Name | Court | Active |
|---|---|---|
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Montana 11th Judicial District Court |
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Montana 13th Judicial District Court |
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Montana 13th Judicial District Court |
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Montana 16th Judicial District Court |
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Montana 16th Judicial District Court |
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Montana 17th Judicial District Court |
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Montana 18th Judicial District Court |
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Montana 18th Judicial District Court |
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Montana 1st Judicial District Court |
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Montana 1st Judicial District Court |
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Montana 20th Judicial District Court |
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Montana 4th Judicial District Court |
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Montana 8th Judicial District Court |
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Montana 8th Judicial District Court |
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Montana 8th Judicial District Court |
Judicial selection process
- See also: Judicial selection in Montana
| Judicial selection in Montana | |
 | |
| Montana Supreme Court | |
| Method: | Nonpartisan election |
| Term: | 8 years |
| Montana District Courts | |
| Method: | Nonpartisan election |
| Term: | 6 years |
Judicial selection refers to the process used to select judges for courts. At the state level, methods of judicial selection vary substantially in the United States, and in some cases between different court types within a state. There are six primary types of judicial selection: partisan and nonpartisan elections, the Michigan method, assisted appointment, gubernatorial appointment, and legislative elections. To read more about how these selection methods are used across the country, click here.
This article covers how state court judges are selected in Montana, including:
As of April 2025, judges for all courts in the state except the Montana Water Court, Montana Workers' Compensation Court, and some Montana City Courts were selected through nonpartisan elections.[2][3][4] Judges for the Montana Water Court were selected by committees of district court judges.[5] The Montana Workers' Compensation Court judge was selected through gubernatorial appointment.[6] Montana City Court judges could either be elected or appointed.[4]
Click here to notify us of changes to judicial selection methods in this state.
| Appellate state court selection in the United States, by general selection method[7] |
|---|
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| State courts and their selection methods across the U.S., including the District of Columbia[7] | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Method | Supreme Court (of 53)[8] | Courts of Appeal (of 46) | Trial Courts (of 147) |
| Partisan elections (PE) | 8 | 6 | 39 |
| Nonpartisan elections (NPE) | 13 | 16 | 34 |
| Legislative elections (LE) | 2 | 2 | 5 |
| Gubernatorial appointment of judges (GA) | 5 | 3 | 6 |
| Assisted appointment (AA) | 22 | 18 | 46 |
| Combination or other | 3[9] | 1[10] | 17[11] |
State profile
| Demographic data for Montana | ||
|---|---|---|
| Montana | U.S. | |
| Total population: | 1,032,073 | 316,515,021 |
| Land area (sq mi): | 145,546 | 3,531,905 |
| Race and ethnicity** | ||
| White: | 89.2% | 73.6% |
| Black/African American: | 0.5% | 12.6% |
| Asian: | 0.7% | 5.1% |
| Native American: | 6.5% | 0.8% |
| Pacific Islander: | 0.1% | 0.2% |
| Two or more: | 2.5% | 3% |
| Hispanic/Latino: | 3.3% | 17.1% |
| Education | ||
| High school graduation rate: | 92.8% | 86.7% |
| College graduation rate: | 29.5% | 29.8% |
| Income | ||
| Median household income: | $47,169 | $53,889 |
| Persons below poverty level: | 17% | 11.3% |
| Source: U.S. Census Bureau, "American Community Survey" (5-year estimates 2010-2015) Click here for more information on the 2020 census and here for more on its impact on the redistricting process in Montana. **Note: Percentages for race and ethnicity may add up to more than 100 percent because respondents may report more than one race and the Hispanic/Latino ethnicity may be selected in conjunction with any race. Read more about race and ethnicity in the census here. | ||
Presidential voting pattern
- See also: Presidential voting trends in Montana
Montana voted Republican in all seven presidential elections between 2000 and 2024.
Pivot Counties (2016)
Ballotpedia identified 206 counties that voted for Donald Trump (R) in 2016 after voting for Barack Obama (D) in 2008 and 2012. Collectively, Trump won these Pivot Counties by more than 580,000 votes. Of these 206 counties, three are located in Montana, accounting for 1.46 percent of the total pivot counties.[12]
Pivot Counties (2020)
In 2020, Ballotpedia re-examined the 206 Pivot Counties to view their voting patterns following that year's presidential election. Ballotpedia defined those won by Trump won as Retained Pivot Counties and those won by Joe Biden (D) as Boomerang Pivot Counties. Nationwide, there were 181 Retained Pivot Counties and 25 Boomerang Pivot Counties. Montana had two Retained Pivot Counties and one Boomerang Pivot County, accounting for 1.10 and 4.00 percent of all Retained and Boomerang Pivot Counties, respectively.
More Montana coverage on Ballotpedia
- Elections in Montana
- United States congressional delegations from Montana
- Public policy in Montana
- Endorsers in Montana
- Montana fact checks
- More...
See also
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ American Judicature Society, "Methods of Judicial Selection: Montana," accessed July 31, 2014
- ↑ National Center for State Courts, "Methods of Judicial Selection," accessed August 11, 2021
- ↑ National Center for State Courts, "Methods of Judicial Selection: Montana," accessed August 11, 2021
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Montana Judicial Branch, "Courts of Limited Jurisdiction," accessed August 11, 2021
- ↑ Montana State Legislature, "Montana Code Annotated 2019," accessed August 11, 2021 (3-7-201)
- ↑ Montana State Legislature, "SB 140," accessed August 15, 2021
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 American Judicature Society, "Methods of Judicial Selection," archived February 2, 2015
- ↑ Both Oklahoma and Texas have two state supreme courts: one for civil matters and one for criminal matters.
- ↑ Michigan and Ohio use nonpartisan general elections with candidates selected through partisan primaries or conventions. In the District of Columbia, judges are selected in the same manner as federal judges.
- ↑ Judges of the North Dakota Court of Appeals are appointed on an as-needed basis by the supreme court justices.
- ↑ Most courts that use combination/alternative methods (for example, mayoral appointment) are local level courts. These courts are often governed by selection guidelines that are unique to their specific region.
- ↑ The raw data for this study was provided by Dave Leip of Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections.
Federal courts:
Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals • U.S. District Court: District of Montana • U.S. Bankruptcy Court: District of Montana
State courts:
Montana Supreme Court • Montana District Courts • Montana Courts of Limited Jurisdiction • Montana Water Court • Montana Workers' Compensation Court
State resources:
Courts in Montana • Montana judicial elections • Judicial selection in Montana
