Flathead County District Judge Dan Wilson Announces Candidacy for Montana Supreme Court
The Flathead County District Court judge is running to replace Justice Beth Baker, who is vacating her seat
By Maggie Dresser
Flathead County District Court Judge Dan Wilson on April 9 announced his candidacy for a seat as an associate justice on the Montana Supreme Court to replace Justice Beth Baker, who is vacating her seat, according to a press release.
Wilson is running on a campaign to bring a “conservative judicial approach” to the court and promises to maintain his record of being “tough on crime.”
“As a native Montanan and a conservative, I firmly believe Supreme Court Justices must apply the law and the constitution as written to all their rulings,” Wilson said in the press release. “As your next Montana Supreme Court Justice, I pledge to follow that guiding conservative principle. I will not be beholden to any special interest group’s agenda and recognize that the court’s role is to interpret the law as written – not create it.”
Wilson lost the 2024 Montana Supreme Court race to Justice Katherine Bidegaray, the former district court judge who presided over several counties in eastern Montana. She won by a roughly 8% margin.
Wilson has served as a Flathead County District Court Judge since 2017, he has served as a justice of the peace and worked stints as a prosecutor and private attorney in civil and criminal cases.
In 2020, Wilson presided over a high-profile case that drew attention when he denied the state’s attempt to force businesses to comply with a pandemic-era mask directive under former Democratic Gov. Steve Bullock’s administration.
While the Montana Supreme Court has traditionally remained nonpartisan, the 2024 race drew widespread support from partisan groups. Wilson received endorsements from groups like the Montana Conservation Action Fund and the Montana Chamber of Commerce along with a recommendation by the Flathead County Republican Central Committee.