U.S. District Court for the District of Montana
U.S. District Court for the District of Montana is a United States district court, a federal trial court where most federal civil and criminal cases are first heard. It lies within the Ninth Circuit, which reviews its decisions on appeal. This page lists every judge to serve on the court, current and former, with who appointed them and whom they succeeded.
| Judge | Appointed by | Since |
|---|---|---|
| Donald W. Molloy | Clinton (D) | 1996 |
| Dana Lewis Christensen | Obama (D) | 2011 |
| Brian Matthew Morris | Obama (D) | 2013 |
| Susan Pamela Watters | Obama (D) | 2013 |
| William Walter Mercer | Trump (R) | 2025 |
| Judge | Appointed by | Years |
|---|---|---|
| Richard F. Cebull | Bush (R) | 2001–2013 |
| Sam E. Haddon | Bush (R) | 2001–2025 |
| Jack D. Shanstrom | Bush (R) | 1990–2020 |
| Charles C. Lovell | Reagan (R) | 1985–2023 |
| Paul Gerhart Hatfield | Carter (D) | 1979–2000 |
| James Franklin Battin | Nixon (R) | 1969–1996 |
| Russell Evans Smith | Johnson (D) | 1966–1990 |
| William James Jameson | Eisenhower (R) | 1957–1990 |
| William Daniel Murray | Truman (D) | 1949–1994 |
| Robert Lewis Brown Sr. | Roosevelt (D) | 1945–1948 |
| James Harris Baldwin | Roosevelt (D) | 1935–1944 |
| Charles Nelson Pray | Coolidge (R) | 1924–1963 |
| George M. Bourquin | Taft (R) | 1912–1958 |
| Carl L. Rasch | Taft (R) | 1910–1911 |
| William Henry Hunt | Roosevelt (R) | 1904–1910 |
| Hiram Knowles | Harrison (R) | 1890–1904 |
How a judge gets here. Each judge is nominated by a president and confirmed by the U.S. Senate, then holds a numbered seat, for life, until they take senior status, or until they leave the bench. Open any judge to see who appointed them, how the Senate voted, and whom they succeeded, a chain that runs back to 1890.
Source: FJC Biographical Directory. Data last verified 2026-06-28. Verify against the primary source before relying.