Ingrid Gustafson | |
---|---|
Justice of the Montana Supreme Court | |
Assumed office January 2018 | |
Appointed by | Steve Bullock |
Preceded by | Mike Wheat |
Personal details | |
Born | Laramie,Wyoming,U.S. | December 11,1961
Education | Montana State University (BS) University of Montana (JD) |
Ingrid G. Gustafson (born December 11,1961) [1] is an associate justice of the Montana Supreme Court. She was appointed in December 2017 by Governor Steve Bullock to fill the seat of retiring Justice Mike Wheat. [2] She ran unopposed in 2018 for the remainder of Wheat's term. In 2022,Gustafson ran against James Brown,winning an eight year term.
Gustafson was born in Wyoming and moved to Montana in 1972. [1] She attended Montana State University on a skiing scholarship and graduated with honors in 1983. [1] She was named to the MSU Hall of Fame for her skiing accomplishments in college. [3] Gustafson obtained her Juris Doctor degree from the University of Montana Law School in 1988,again with honors. [4]
Gustafson worked as a staff attorney for the Social Security Administration for two years, [1] and entered private practice in 1991. In that period,she also was a public defender in Rosebud County,Montana. From 1996 until 2004 she was a managing partner at the law firm Graves,Toennis and Gustafson in Billings,Montana. [1]
Gustafson was appointed as District Judge of Montana's 13th Judicial District by former Governor Judy Martz,and took the bench in 2004. [1] She succeeded retiring District Judge and former Montana Supreme Court justice Diane Barz. [1] She was re-elected to the bench in 2004,2006 and 2012. [2] [4] Gustafson helped create Yellowstone County's drug court in 2010. [5] This was Montana's first felony drug court. [6]
In 2017,she became the first justice appointed to the Montana Supreme Court rather than elected. She was chosen by Governor Bullock to replace Mike Wheat who retired effective December 31. [2] She then ran unopposed in 2018. [7] That election was for the remaining four years of Wheat's term. [8]
In 2022,Gustafson ran a costly campaign against James Brown,a Helena based attorney. The race ended up as having the most money ever spent in a Montana Supreme Court race. [9] Even though the election is non-partisan,special interest groups spent a significant amount of money on the race. [7] Montana Free Press reported $3 million spent by outside groups. [7] Montana Republican leaders supported Brown early in his campaign,setting the stage for an election with partisanship overtones. [10] Gustafson won with 54% of the votes. Brown blamed his loss on the "millions of dollars in liberal money" that had flooded the state in the final weeks of the race. [11] [12]
As of 2024,she is Vice President of the Montana Judges Association. [4]
Michael McGrath is an American lawyer and judge who served as the chief justice of the Montana Supreme Court from 2009 to 2025. He also served as the attorney general of Montana from 2000 to 2008. He is a veteran of the United States Air Force.
James Arthur Rice is an American lawyer who has served as an associate justice of the Montana Supreme Court. Rice was initially appointed by Governor Judy Martz in 2001. His current term extends to 2030.
Denise Juneau is an American attorney,educator,and politician from the U.S. state of Montana who served as the state's Superintendent of Public Instruction from 2009 to 2017. She is a Democrat and the first female Native American elected to statewide office in the United States. Her mother is Mandan,Hidatsa,and Arikara,while her father is Blackfoot.
The 2012 Montana gubernatorial election took place on November 6,2012,to elect the governor of Montana. Incumbent Democratic governor Brian Schweitzer was term-limited and could not run for re-election to a third term.
Lesbian,gay,bisexual,transgender,and queer (LGBTQ) people in the U.S. state of Montana may face some legal challenges not experienced by non-LGBTQ residents. Same-sex sexual activity has been legal in Montana since 1997. Same-sex couples and families headed by same-sex couples are eligible for all of the protections available to opposite-sex married couples,as same-sex marriage has been recognized since November 2014. State statutes do not address discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity;however,the U.S. Supreme Court's ruling in Bostock v. Clayton County established that employment discrimination against LGBTQ people is illegal under federal law. A number of cities also provide protections in housing and public accommodations.
Gregory Richard Gianforte is an American businessman,politician,and software engineer serving as the 25th governor of Montana since 2021. A member of the Republican Party,Gianforte served as the U.S. representative for Montana's at-large congressional district from 2017 to 2021.
The 2014 United States Senate election in Montana took place on November 4,2014,to elect a member of the United States Senate from Montana,concurrently with other elections to the United States Senate in other states and elections to the United States House of Representatives and various state and local elections.
Beth Baker is an American lawyer who is an associate justice of the Montana Supreme Court. Elected on November 2,2010 and sworn into office on January 3,2011,she became the fourth woman to serve on Montana's highest bench. She took the seat of the retired Justice W. William Leaphart. In the 2018 election,Justice Baker was retained for another eight year term.
Laurie McKinnon is an associate justice of the Montana Supreme Court. She was elected to her first eight-year term in 2012. In 2020,she defeated Mike Black,gaining a second eight-year term.
Mike Wheat was a justice of the Montana Supreme Court from 2010 to 2017. He was appointed to the court in 2010 by Governor Brian Schweitzer to fill the vacated seat of Justice John Warner.
James Jeremiah Shea is an American lawyer who serves as an associate justice of the Montana Supreme Court. He was appointed by Governor Steve Bullock in 2014. He previously served as a judge on the Montana Workers' Compensation Court from 2005 to 2014.
Diane MacDonald Barz was an American judge. In 1978,she became the first female Montana District Court judge. She was also the first woman to serve as a member of the Montana Supreme Court,a position she held from September 1989 to 1991. She also served as an assistant United States attorney from 1991 to 1994.
The 2016 Montana gubernatorial election took place on November 8,2016,to elect the governor and lieutenant governor of Montana,concurrently with the presidential election,as well as elections to the United States Senate and elections to the United States House of Representatives and various state and local elections.
The 2020 United States Senate election in Montana was held on November 3,2020,to elect a member of the United States Senate to represent the State of Montana. It was held concurrently with the 2020 U.S. presidential election,as well as other elections to the United States Senate in other states,elections to the United States House of Representatives,and various state and local elections. The primaries for both the Democratic and Republican nominations took place on June 2,2020. Incumbent senator Steve Daines won the Republican primary,while Montana Gov. Steve Bullock won the Democratic primary.
Dirk M. Sandefur is an American lawyer who served as an associate justice of the Montana Supreme Court from 2017 to 2025. He served for eight years as a criminal and civil deputy attorney for Cascade County,Montana,before being elected a judge on the 8th Judicial District of the Montana District Court in 2002. He ran for and won election to the Montana Supreme Court in 2016.
The 2022 United States House of Representatives elections in Montana were held on November 8,2022,to elect two U.S. Representatives from Montana,one from each of its congressional districts. Prior to this election cycle,Montana had one at-large district,represented by Republican Matt Rosendale. However,during the 2020 redistricting cycle,Montana regained the 2nd district that it lost in 1993.
Raphael Jeffrey Carlisle "Raph" Graybill is an American attorney who served as chief legal counsel to Steve Bullock,the governor of Montana,from 2017 to 2021. Graybill was a candidate for attorney general of Montana in the 2020 general election,losing to Republican nominee Austin Knudsen. Under Ryan Busse,Graybill ran unsuccessfully for lieutenant governor in Montana's 2024 gubernatorial election.
Angela Veta Russell is an American politician and civil rights activist who served in the Montana House of Representatives from the 99th district as a member of the Democratic Party. Russell participated in the Selma to Montgomery marches and Native American activism. She is a member of the Crow Tribe of Montana.
As of 2022,Montana ranked 22nd out of 50 American states in terms of percentage of state legislators who are women. Within the Montana State Legislature,32.7 percent of all members were women in 2022. From statehood in 1889 to 2024,the state of Montana had only one female governor,Judy Martz. Although the first woman to be elected to the United States Congress was from Montana in 1916,the state had not elected another woman to Congress as of 2021.
James Brown is an American politician who is currently serving as the 18th Montana State Auditor since 2025. As a Republican he served as a member of the Montana Public Service Commission.