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Gov. Gianforte announces advisory council for 20th judicial district vacancy – Daily Montanan

['Keith Schubert', 'More From Author', '- April']

Date: 2022-04 

Gov. Greg Gianforte has announced his advisory council that will help review applicants for a judicial vacancy in Lake and Sanders counties.

The advisory council, appointed by the Gianforte, serves as a replacement for the Judicial Nominating Commission, which was eliminated through recent legislation that gave the governor more power to fill judicial vacancies.

“Bringing decades of experience working in their communities, the members of 20th Judicial District Advisory Council will support me in identifying exceptional candidates to serve as their new district court judge,” Gianforte said in a press release. “I’ve directed members of the advisory council to identify well-qualified candidates who are committed to the fair, consistent, and objective application of the law and who will interpret laws, not make them from the bench.”

Members of the 20th Judicial District advisory council include:

Boone Cole, former chair of the Flathead Joint Board of Control

Dennis DeVries , former judge for the City of Polson

Becky Dupuis, co-owner of Polson Theatres

Casey Emerson, attorney at Mission Mountain Law

Susan Lake, secretary and treasurer of Lake Farms Inc.

Ann Marie McNeel, attorney and director of Lake County CASA

John Mercer, attorney at Turnage, Mercer, & Wall, PLLP

Ryan Rusche, attorney for the Confederated Salish & Kootenai Tribes (CSKT)

Don Strine, former Sanders County Justice of the Peace

Lori Thibodeau, probation and parole officer for the Montana Department of Corrections

Teresa Wall-McDonald, human resources director at Salish Kootenai Community College

Ben Woods, Lake County Undersheriff

The vacancy in the Twentieth Judicial District was created after District Judge James Manley recently announced his retirement. Manley was appointed to the court by former Gov. Steve Bullock in 2013, and before that, he was the Deputy County Attorney for Lake County.

Applications must be submitted electronically as well as in hard copy by 5 p.m., April 11. The applications are available to the public to comment on between April 12 and May 11, according to the Governor’s office.

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