Bolstad retiring as Great Falls Municipal Court, city will appoint new judge
Municipal Court Judge Steve Bolstad is retiring on Jan. 1 after 11 years on the bench.
Bolstad was appointed to the Great Falls Municipal Court in 2014 by the City Commission after Judge Nancy Luth retired.
For the next nine years, Bolstad as the city’s sole judge at Municipal Court, which is a court of limited jurisdiction under state law, until voters approved a City Charter amendment in 2022 allowing for the addition of a second elected judge.
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During his tenure, commissioners also approved a court relocation from the Civic Center basement to the former Missouri Room on the second floor. The two new courtrooms and office space opened in October.
Bolstad created a mental health court, served as a member of the Montana Magistrates Association, the MMA Legislative Committee and a training judge for newly appointed/elected courts of limited jurisdiction judges during his time on the bench.
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Bolstad provided training to court clerks at their annual conferences and was appointed by the Montana Supreme Court to serve as the municipal court representative and vice chair of the Commission on Courts of Limited Jurisdiction.
Bolstad was born and raised in Great Falls, graduating from the the Great Falls Public Schools system and Montana State University with an undergraduate education degree and the University of Montana with his law degree.
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He spent seven years as a public school teacher, served as a firefighter with the U.S. Forest Service firefighter, practice Indian law and was a Cascade County deputy attorney.
“It has been a privilege and my honor to serve the people and the City of Great Falls. It was always a life goal to pay back the education provided me and the many opportunities from being born and educated in Great Falls,” Bolstad said in a release.
The city has 30 days to fill the position once it becomes vacant and will being accepting applications soon.
Candidates must meet the same qualifications as district court judges under state law, except that municipal court judges need only be admitted to the practice of law in Montana for at least three years prior to the date of election/appointment, be a resident and qualified elector in the city at the time of appointment or election and be certified under state law prior to assuming office.
Commissioners will use the same appointment process as they did when appointing Bolstad in 2014, which includes interviewing candidates and making the appointment in a public meeting, according to City Attorney David Dennis.
The appointed judge will serve for the remainder of Bolstad’s term through Dec. 31, 2027 and then will have to run for the regular four-year term in 2027.
