Montana Supreme Court elections, 2026
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The term of one Montana Supreme Court justice will expire on December 31, 2026. The one seat is up for nonpartisan election on November 3, 2026. The filing deadline for the election is March 4, 2026.
Judges with expiring terms
- This is a list of the justices who must stand for nonpartisan election in 2026 in order to remain on the bench. Justices may choose not to stand for election. The list is subject to change if justices retire or are appointed.
Candidates and results
Note: The following list includes official candidates only. Ballotpedia defines official candidates as people who:
- Register with a federal or state campaign finance agency before the candidate filing deadline
- Appear on candidate lists released by government election agencies
Beth Baker's seat
General election
The primary will occur on June 2, 2026. The general election will occur on November 3, 2026. General election candidates will be added here following the primary.
Nonpartisan primary election
Nonpartisan primary for Montana Supreme Court
Amy Eddy and Dan Wilson are running in the primary for Montana Supreme Court on June 2, 2026.
Candidate | ||
 | Amy Eddy (Nonpartisan) | |
 | Dan Wilson (Nonpartisan) | |
| ||||
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Voting information
- See also: Voting in Montana
Ballotpedia will publish the dates and deadlines related to this election as they are made available.
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.[1][2]
Political composition
This is the political composition of the court heading into the 2026 election.
| ■ Beth Baker | Elected in 2010 | |
| ■ Katherine M. Bidegaray | Elected in 2024 | |
| ■ Ingrid Gustafson | Appointed by Gov. Steve Bullock (D) in 2017 | |
| ■ Laurie McKinnon | Elected in 2012 | |
| ■ James Rice | Appointed by Gov. Judy Martz (R) in 2001 | |
| ■ Jim Shea | Appointed by Gov. Steve Bullock (D) in 2014 | |
| ■ Cory Swanson | Elected in 2024 |
Selection
The seven justices on the Montana Supreme Court are selected through nonpartisan elections to eight-year terms. When their terms expire, justices must run for re-election if they wish to remain on the court. If unopposed, a justice must stand for a yes-no retention election.[3][4]
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.[3]
Chief justice
The chief justice of the court is selected through a nonpartisan election to an eight-year term.[3]
Vacancies
In the event of a midterm vacancy, the governor is responsible for appointing a new justice to the court. Once confirmed by the Montana state Senate, the justice will hold office until the next regular election. At that time, the appointed justice will be able to run for re-election or retention to complete the remainder of the unexpired term.[4]
The map below highlights how vacancies are filled in state supreme courts across the country.
See also
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ Montana Courts, "Contact Us," accessed March 21, 2014
- ↑ Montana Judicial Branch, "About Us," accessed July 15, 2014
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 National Center for State Courts, "Methods of Judicial Selection," accessed August 11, 2021
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Montana State Legislature, "The Constitution of the state of Montana," accessed August 11, 2021 (Article VII, part VII, section 8)
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
