City Commission interviewing Municipal Court judge candidates Jan. 16
City Commissioners will interview three candidates for Great Falls Municipal Court judge during a special meeting at noon on Jan. 16.
Commissioners will select a candidate to appoint during their Jan. 20 regular meeting to serve the remainder of Judge Steve Bolstad’s term since he retired Jan. 1.
The candidates are:
- Cassidy Blomgren, current city prosecutor
- Cayle Halberg, private attorney
- Theresa Diekhans, current deputy county attorney
City accepting applications for municipal judge [2025]
The city accepted applications for the position from mid-December through Jan. 8.
Since it’s an elected position, state law requires that commissioners fill the vacancy within 30 days of Bolstad’s retirement.
Bolstad retiring as Great Falls Municipal Court, city will appoint new judge
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.
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.
City seeking applications for new judge position [2023]
Salary for municipal court judges is set by city resolution and a judge serving a first or partial term in Great Falls receives an annual salary of $119,859.75.
As a city elected official, judges received a benefits package of health, vision, dental, life insurance and participation in Montana’s Public Employee Retirement System.
