List of justices of the Montana Supreme Court

Following is a list of justices of the Montana Supreme Court.

Current members

Chief JusticeTerm beganTerm expiresNotesCory Swanson20252032Elected 2024Associate JusticeTerm beganTerm expiresNotesLaurie McKinnon20132028 Elected 2012James A. Rice20142030Appointed by Governor Judy Martz; elected 2002; re-elected 2006; re-elected 2014; re-elected 2022Beth Baker20112026Elected 2010Jim Shea20172028Appointed by Governor Steve Bullock, 2014; elected 2016Katherine M. Bidegaray20252032Elected 2024Ingrid Gustafson20182030Appointed by Governor Steve Bullock, 2018; elected 2022

Former members

Chief justices

Montana Territorial Supreme Court

Chief JusticeTerm servedNotesHezekiah L. Hosmer(1864–1868)Appointed first chief justice of Territorial Supreme Court by President LincolnHenry L. Warren(1868–1871)Appointed by President JohnsonDecius Wade(1871–1887)Appointed by President GrantNewton W. McConnell(1887–1889)Appointed by President Cleveland; resignedHenry N. Blake(1889)Appointed by President Harrison, 1889; previously Associate Justice of Territorial Supreme Court (1875–1885); elected first chief justice of Montana Supreme Court after statehood

Montana Supreme Court

Chief JusticeTerm servedNotesHenry N. Blake(1889–1893)First Chief Justice of Montana Supreme Court; previously Associate Justice of Territorial Supreme Court (1875–1885); Chief Justice of Territorial Supreme Court (1889)William Y. Pemberton(1893–1899)Theodore M. Brantley(1899–1922)Died in office; longest serving Chief Justice to date (23 years)Llewellyn L. Callaway(1922–1935)AppointedWalter B. Sands(1935–1938)Died in officeO. F. Goddard(1938–1939)AppointedHoward A. Johnson(1939–1946)ResignedCarl Lindquist(1946)AppointedHugh R. Adair(1947–1956)Also served as Associate Justice 1943–1946, 1957–1968James T. Harrison(1957–1977) AppointedPaul G. Hatfield(1977–1978)Frank I. Haswell(1978–1985) AppointedJean A. Turnage(1985–2000)Karla M. Gray(2001–2008) ElectedMike McGrath(2009–2025) ElectedCory Swanson(2025– ) Elected

Associate justices Montana Territorial Supreme Court Associate JusticeTerm servedNotesAmmi Giddings(1864–1865)Appointed by President Lincoln, but never served; resigned immediately due to ill health, though commission remained in force until 1865Lorenzo P. Williston(1864–1868)Appointed by President LincolnLyman E. Munson(1865–1869)Appointed by President LincolnHiram Knowles(1868–1879)Appointed by President JohnsonGeorge G. Symes(1869–1871)Appointed by President GrantJohn Luttrell Murphy(1871–1872) Appointed by Ulysses S. Grant. Recalled/resigned after much controversy, replaced by Justice Servis. Francis G. Servis(1872–1875)Appointed by President GrantHenry N. Blake(1875–1885)Appointed by President Grant; subsequently appointed as Chief Justice of Territorial Supreme Court, 1889; elected first chief justice of Supreme Court, 1889–1893William J. Galbraith(1879–1888)Appointed to first term by President Hayes, to subsequent term by President ArthurEverton Conger(1880–1886)Appointed by President HayesJohn Coburn(1884–1886)Appointed by President HayesThomas C. Bach(1886–1889)Appointed by President ClevelandJames H. McLeary(1886–1888)Appointed by President ClevelandStephen DeWolf(1888–1889)Appointed by President ClevelandMoses J. Liddell(1888–1889)Appointed by President Cleveland

Montana Supreme Court Associate JusticeTerm servedNotesWilliam H. DeWitt(1889–1897)Edgar N. Harwood(1889–1895)William Henry Hunt(1895–1900)ResignedHorace R. Buck(1897)Died in officeWilliam Trigg Pigott(1897–1903)AppointedRobert L. Word(1900–1901)AppointedGeorge R. Milburn(1901–1907)William L. Holloway(1903–1926) Died in officeHenry C. Smith(1907–1913)Sydney Sanner(1913–1918)William Trigg Pigott(1918)Appointed; previously served as Associate Justice, 1897–1903Charles H. Cooper(1919–1924)ResignedJohn Hurly(1919–1921)George Y. Patten(1919)Appointed to newly created seat; resignedJohn A. Matthews(1919–1920)Appointed; subsequently served as Associate Justice, 1925–1937Roy E. Ayers(1922)Appointed to newly created seat, January 1922; resigned November 22, 1922Albert J. Galen(1921–1933)Frank B. Reynolds(1921–1922)Died in officeGeorge W. Farr(1922–1923)AppointedAlbert P. Stark(1923–1929)Wellington D. Rankin(1924–1925)AppointedJohn A. Matthews(1925–1937)Previously served as Associate Justice, 1919Warren Toole(1926–1927)AppointedHenry L. Myers(1927–1929)AppointedAlbert H. Angstman(1929–1934)Subsequently served as Associate Justice 1937–1942, 1945–1961 for a total of 28 yearsSam C. Ford(1929–1933)Subsequently, Governor of Montana, 1941 to 1949Ralph J. Anderson(1933–1939)Sam V. Stewart(1933–1939)Previously Governor of Montana, 1913–1921; State Representative, 1931–1933; died in office, 1939Claude F. Morris(1935–1947)Albert H. Angstman(1937–1942)Previously served as Associate Justice, 1929–1934; subsequently served 1945–1961Ralph L. Arnold(1939–1941)AppointedLeif Erickson(1939–1945)Albert Anderson(1941–1945)Hugh R. Adair(1943–1946)Subsequently served as Chief Justice, 1947–1956, and again as Associate Justice 1957 – 1968Albert H. Angstman(1945–1961)Previously served as Associate Justice, 1929–1934, and 1945–1961Edwin K. Cheadle(1945–1947)ResignedI. W. Choate(1947–1949)AppointedFred L. Gibson(1947–1948)AppointedLee Metcalf(1947–1953)Subsequently, U.S. Representative, 1953–1961; U.S. Senator, 1961–1978R. V. Bottomly(1949–1961)Harrison J. Freebourn(1949–1954)Forrest H. Anderson(1953–1956)Subsequently served as Governor of Montana, 1969–1973Horace S. Davis(1954–1957)AppointedHugh R. Adair(1957–1968)Previously served as Associate Justice, 1943–1946 and as Chief Justice, 1947–1956Wesley Castles(1957–1977)AppointedStanley M. Doyle(1961–1967)Appointed; resignedJohn C. Harrison(1961–1994)Longest serving justice in history of the courtFrank I. Haswell(1967–1978)Appointed; subsequently served as Chief Justice, 1978–1985John W. Bonner(1969–1970)Previously Governor of Montana, 1949 to 1953; Died in office, 1970Gene B. Daly(1970–1983)Appointed, reelectedDaniel J. Shea(1977–1985)John C. Sheehy(1978–1991)AppointedFrank B. Morrison(1981–1987)ResignedFred J. Weber(1981–1995)L. C. Gulbrandson(1983–1989)William E. Hunt(1985–2000)R. C. McDonough(1987–1993)Diane Barz(1989–1990)First woman to serve on the court; resignedTerry N. Trieweiler(1991–2003)Karla M. Gray(1991–2000)Subsequently served as Chief Justice, 2000 to 2008Charles E. Erdmann(1995–1997)Jim Regnier(1997–2004)John Warner(2003–2009) W. William Leaphart(1995–2010)Elected 1994; re-elected 2002James C. Nelson(1993–2012) Appointed by Governor Marc Racicot; elected 1994; re-elected 1996, 2004Brian Matthew Morris(2005–2013)Elected 2004; re-elected 2012Patricia O'Brien Cotter(2001–2016)Elected 2000; re-elected 2008Mike Wheat(2010–2017)Elected in 2010; re-elected 2014Dirk Sandefur(2017–2025)Elected in 2016

References