The stage is set for the two Montana Supreme Court races this November. In recent years, some of Montana’s most hotly contested and expensive races have been for seats on the state Supreme Court, and that trend could continue this year.
Chief Justice of the Montana Supreme Court Race
Jeremiah “Jerry” Lynch and Cory Swanson appear to be moving on to the general election according to unofficial results.
Decision Desk HQ called the race at 8:44 p.m. with Swanson at 43%, Lynch at 41% of the vote and Doug Marshall with 15% of the vote. Montana Supreme Court races are non-partisan with the top two moving on to the general election in November.
Jerry Lynch is a former federal magistrate judge for the District of Montana working out of Missoula. Lynch, a Butte native, served as a law clerk for federal judge and former Montana chief justice Paul Hatfield. He then spent ten years in private practice before serving as magistrate judge from 2006 to 2019.
Cory Swanson, of Townsend, has served as the county attorney for Broadwater County since 2015. Prior to that, he worked as a deputy attorney general under former Attorney General Tim Fox. In addition, he’s an officer with the Montana Army National Guard.
Read MTN’s full profiles on the chief justice candidates.
Associate Justice of the Montana Supreme Race
According to unofficial results, Dan Wilson and Katherine Bidegaray appear to be moving on to the general election.
Decision Desk HQ called the race at 9:41 p.m. with Bidegaray at 54% of the vote, Wilson with 31% and Jerry O’Neil with 15% of the vote. Montana Supreme Court races are non-partisan with the top two moving on to the general election in November.
Dan Wilson, of Kalispell, is one of five judges of the 11th Judicial District, which covers Flathead County. He was elected to the position in 2016 and reelected in 2022. Wilson previously worked as a deputy county attorney, then spent about a decade in private practice, doing a variety of work – including family law and criminal defense. In 2010, he was elected as a justice of the peace for Flathead County.
Katherine Bidegaray, of Sidney, has been a district judge since 2003 – one of two serving the 7th Judicial District, which covers Richland, Dawson, McCone, Prairie and Wibaux Counties on Montana’s eastern edge. She said her rural and eastern Montana background would bring a different perspective to the court.
Read MTN’s full profiles on the Montana Supreme Court associate justice candidates.
