NEWS

Two candidates vie for Supreme Court seat No. 3

Phil Drake
pdrake@greatfallstribune.com
Sandefur

Two candidates have filed so far with the Secretary of State’s office to run for state Supreme Court seat No. 3 in 2016.

Kristen Gustafson Juras, a law professor and Great Falls resident, filed Feb. 4 to run for Supreme Court justice seat. She will run against Dirk Sandefur, a District Court judge, who filed Jan. 14.

“I will add an important perspective to the Montana Supreme Court,” Juras said. “I have practiced law for 33 years, representing individuals, agricultural producers and small business owners in a variety of legal arenas, including agricultural law, business law, contracts, family law, tax law, estate planning, water rights and property law.”

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Sandefur, 54, said his visits with people have told him that they want Supreme Court justices who are experienced, competent and who are truly neutral, nonpartisan and independent.

“They want justices who will decide these cases that come before the court on the facts of the case and appellate law, regardless of who the parties are or any agenda that they have,” he said.

Gustafson

Juras has been a teacher since 2000, researching, and writing on these topics as a professor at the University of Montana School of Law.

The statewide race is nonpartisan. Juras said that is for a reason.

“The court is not a legislative body,” she said, adding the court has a “responsibility to fairly and consistently apply the laws enacted by the Legislature to the disputes brought before it, regardless of popular opinion, political preferences, media reports or the status of the parties appearing before it.”

Sandefur said in an earlier interview he has a reputation as being fair and independent as a district court judge.

“I have and continue to preside over the most serious and complex cases that come before Montana’s courts,” he said.

Juras, 60, said her broad and diverse legal career has prepared her well for this position.

“I understand the social and legal issues faced by the residents of rural Montana. My parents, Rib and Pat Gustafson, instilled in me the ethics of hard work, excellence, independence and commitment to family and public service,” she said via email.

Juras said she has provided legal assistance to numerous nonprofit organizations, most recently serving on the board of directors of the Pondera Healthcare Foundation and the Red Ants Pants Foundation.

The Great Falls resident said she provides several hundred hours of free legal services each year to people in a variety of legal matters.

“We should all be concerned about access to the legal system. It is overwhelming for many, especially for those who do not have the financial resources to hire legal counsel,” she said.

She is married to John Juras, a civil engineer at TD&H Engineering. She has three sons: Mark; Luke and his wife, Megan; and Evan. Juras said she is a fourth-generation Montanan who graduated from Conrad High School in 1973 and the University of Montana in 1977.

Sandefur explained what he liked about being a judge.

“You have a unique opportunity to have a very real effect on people’s lives and things that are of the most important in people’s lives, whether it be their liberty, family and business,” he said.

In an earlier interview, he cited his experience as a plus for his campaign.

“I have a proven track record with 13 years on the bench of being fair, and issuing decisions based solely on the facts of the case and what the law is, without consideration of who the parties are or how popular the decision may be,” he said.

Sandefur and his wife, Paula, have three children, Taylor, Tess and Dylan.

A Great Falls native, Sandefur is a 1980 graduate of Great Falls High School, a 1985 honors graduate of the University of Montana, and a 1993 high honors graduate of the UM Law School where he graduated third in his class of 75.

He is also a graduate of the Montana Law Enforcement Academy, served for eight years as a deputy Cascade County attorney and spent three years as a police officer for the city of Havre.

In January, Sandefur reported fourth-quarter contributions of $40,075 bringing his total from 2015 to $191,383.

Sandefur said his contributions came from 902 Montanans in 55 communities.

Juras raised $6,776 for in the last quarter. She reported an ending balance of cash in the bank totaling $28,744.

In Supreme Court races the top two vote-getters from the June 7 primary will face off in the Nov. 8 election.

They are running for the seat, an eight-year term, now held by Justice Patricia Cotter, who plans to retire.

In another Supreme Court race, Jim Shea is running for Supreme Court seat No. 6.

Shea

Shea cited his nearly 25 years of legal experience and ability to apply the law according to the constitutions that serve Montana.

“Montanans need to trust that their Supreme Court is above partisanship and undue influence from special interests,” he said. “They must have confidence that cases are being decided solely on the law, not on the judge’s personal agenda.”

Shea, 49, has served on the state Supreme Court since June of 2014. He was appointed by Gov. Steve Bullock after receiving a unanimous recommendation from the Montana Judicial Nomination Commission.

He was the presiding judge of the Montana Workers’ Compensation Court since 2005. He is a fourth generation Montanan who grew up in Butte in the home that his great-grandfather built and attended the University of Montana. Shea earned his law degree from the University of Montana School of Law in 1991.

He and his wife, Kathy, have two daughters: Kate and Mo.

Shea said the campaign was going well.

“I am traveling quite a bit, which I really enjoy,” he said, adding he has met mostly with lawyers so far, believing it is important to get their feedback on how the court is doing and their concerns. And he said the general public doesn’t know a lot about the justices.

“As much as our egos would like us to believe otherwise, if you would put us in a lineup with Judge Judy and told them to pick judge, I guarantee they would not pick me,” Shea said.

He said, however, the feedback he has received is “overwhelmingly positive.”

Shea said his experience will help him the campaign.

“I’ve been in the trenches, a trial judge for 81/2 years,” he said. “I’ve had the benefit of being where the rubber meets the road.”

His campaign has raised nearly $40,000 so far.

Shea was asked about people who sometimes accuse judges of acting like legislators.

“I am a big believer in staying in my own lane,” he said. “There is a real genius to a separation of powers that the founding feathers devised for us. It works and I’m not arrogant enough to mess with it.”