Montana Supreme Court elections, 2020

2020 State Judicial Elections
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The terms of two Montana Supreme Court justices expired on December 31, 2020. The two seats were up for nonpartisan election on November 3, 2020. A primary was scheduled for June 2, 2020.

Election procedure changes in 2020

See also: Changes to election dates, procedures, and administration in response to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, 2020

Ballotpedia provided comprehensive coverage of how election dates and procedures changed in 2020. While the majority of changes occurred as a result of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, some changes occurred for other reasons.

Montana modified its absentee/mail-in voting procedures for the November 3, 2020, general election as follows:

• Absentee/mail-in voting: Counties were authorized to conduct the general election entirely by mail.

For a full timeline about election modifications made in response to the COVID-19 outbreak, click here.

Candidates and election results

Seat 5

General election

General election for Montana Supreme Court

Incumbent Laurie McKinnon defeated Mike Black in the general election for Montana Supreme Court on November 3, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Laurie McKinnon (Nonpartisan)	57.0	303,839
		Mike Black (Nonpartisan)	43.0	229,232

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	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 533,071
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Nonpartisan primary election

Nonpartisan primary for Montana Supreme Court

Incumbent Laurie McKinnon and Mike Black defeated Mars Scott in the primary for Montana Supreme Court on June 2, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Laurie McKinnon (Nonpartisan)	53.3	169,546
✔		Mike Black (Nonpartisan)	29.7	94,445
		Mars Scott (Nonpartisan)	17.0	54,036

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	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 318,027
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Seat 6

General election

General election for Montana Supreme Court

Incumbent Jim Shea won election in the general election for Montana Supreme Court on November 3, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Jim Shea (Nonpartisan)	100.0	432,032

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	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 432,032
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Nonpartisan primary election

Nonpartisan primary for Montana Supreme Court

Incumbent Jim Shea advanced from the primary for Montana Supreme Court on June 2, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Jim Shea (Nonpartisan)	100.0	298,973

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	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 298,973
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Past elections

2018

See also: Montana Supreme Court elections, 2018

General election

General election for Montana Supreme Court

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Ingrid Gayle Gustafson (Nonpartisan)	83.7	365,795
		Other/Write-in votes	16.3	71,451

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	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 437,246
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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General election

General election for Montana Supreme Court

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Beth Baker (Nonpartisan)	83.3	369,877
		Other/Write-in votes	16.7	74,126

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	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 444,003
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Click [show] at the right to view more past election results.

2016 See also: Montana Supreme Court elections, 2016 November 8 general election Dirk M. Sandefur defeated Kristen Juras in the general election for the Montana Supreme Court, Seat 3. Montana Supreme Court, Seat 3, 2016 Candidate Vote % Votes Dirk M. Sandefur 56.13% 254,811 Kristen Juras 43.87% 199,148 Total Votes (686 of 686 precincts reporting: 100%) 453,959 Source: Montana Secretary of State Mike McGrath was retained in the Montana Supreme Court, Chief Justice Seat election with 81.76% of the vote. Montana Supreme Court, Chief Justice Seat, 2016 Name Yes votes Mike McGrath 81.76% Source: Montana Secretary of State Jim Shea was retained in the Montana Supreme Court, Seat 6 election with 81.40% of the vote. Montana Supreme Court, Seat 6, 2016 Name Yes votes Jim Shea 81.40% Source: Montana Secretary of State June 7 primary Montana Supreme Court Primary, Seat 3, 2016 Candidate Vote % Votes Kristen Juras 44.10% 100,846 Dirk M. Sandefur 34.48% 78,855 Eric Mills 21.41% 48,965 Total Votes (686 of 686 precincts reporting: 100%) 228,666 Source: Montana Secretary of State Official Results Montana Supreme Court Primary, Chief Justice Seat, 2016 Candidate Vote % Votes Mike McGrath Incumbent (unopposed) 100.00% 237,577 Total Votes (686 of 686 precincts reporting: 100%) 237,577 Source: Montana Secretary of State Official Results Montana Supreme Court Primary, Seat 6, 2016 Candidate Vote % Votes Jim Shea Incumbent (unopposed) 100.00% 227,153 Total Votes (686 of 686 precincts reporting: 100%) 227,153 Source: Montana Secretary of State Official Results

About the Montana Supreme Court

See also: Montana Supreme Court

The Montana Supreme Court is the court of last resort in Montana. The court consists of six associate justices and one chief justice who are elected to eight-year terms. The supreme court has appellate and original jurisdiction, and since there is no intermediate appellate court in the state, the supreme court receives appeals directly from the district courts, water court, and workers' compensation court.

Political composition

This was the political composition of the supreme court heading into the 2020 election.

■ Beth Baker		Elected in 2010
■ Ingrid Gustafson		Appointed by Gov. Steve Bullock (D) in 2017
■ Mike McGrath		Elected in 2008 and 2016
■ Laurie McKinnon		Elected in 2012
■ James Rice		Appointed by Gov. Judy Martz (R) in 2001; elected in 2014
■ Dirk M. Sandefur		Elected in 2016
■ Jim Shea		Appointed by Gov. Steve Bullock (D) in 2014; elected in 2016

Selection

See also: Nonpartisan elections

The seven justices of the Montana Supreme Court are selected in nonpartisan elections to eight-year terms. When their term expires, they must run for re-election (or retention if they are unopposed) if they wish to continue serving. In the event of a midterm vacancy, the governor is responsible for appointing a new judge from a list compiled by the Montana Judicial Nominating Commission. Once confirmed by the Montana Senate, the judge holds office until the next general election, when he or she will be able to run for re-election to complete the remainder of the unexpired term.

Qualifications

To serve on this court, a judge must be:

• a U.S. citizen;
• a state resident for at least two years; and
• licensed to practice law in the state for at least five years.

Selection of the chief justice

The court's chief justice is chosen by popular vote during the regular campaign cycle. He or she serves in that capacity for a full eight-year term.

See also

Montana	Judicial Selection	More Courts
Courts in Montana Montana Supreme Court	Elections: 2025 • 2024 • 2023 • 2022 • 2021 • 2020 • 2019 • 2018 • 2017 Gubernatorial appointments Judicial selection in Montana	Federal courts State courts Local courts

External links

• Search Google News for this topic
• Montana Supreme Court

Footnotes

Montana courts

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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

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