I was born in Portland Oregon and grew up in the rural surrounding area. I often remark that "Helena chose me" because I have considered it my chosen home ever since I was a first generational graduate of Carroll College. I still live in Helena with my husband and two children. I am a licensed attorney, enrolled Tribal member, and have 20 years of experience helping communities drive economic development and manage natural resources in a way that centers our relationship to each other, our communities, and the Earth. My desire to keep Montana a great place to thrive for the next generations motivated me to run for office.
The Clerk of the Montana Supreme Court should serve the people, not politics. I would also find opportunities to improve Court efficiencies and support clerks of court statewide. The greatest challenge for the Clerk's office is self represented litigants (SRLs). I have seven years of experience working with SRLs statewide. There are many ways the Clerk of the Montana Supreme Court can work with Montana Legal Services Association, the Court Administrators office, the State Bar, and other customers to help the people of Montana access justice. It's most important that the Clerk is impartial, fair, and ethical.
Customer service can be maintained or improved by providing valuable support to staff. There has been considerable staff turn over in recent years. I would work to keep staff supported and retain the institutional knowledge that is essential to the administration of justice. I would maintain good and positive working relationships with the members of the Court and legal community. I would improve the case display features on the website to make case information more clear and accessible. I would not conflate my role or the role of the Clerks office as being anything more than it is or mislead the public about the authority of the Office.
Place of Birth: Helena, Montana
Age as of Election Day: 53
Place of residency: Helena, Montana
Occupation/Employer: State of Montana/Clerk of Supreme Court
Education: Graduate of Billings West High class of 1990, BA from Georgetown University in 1994.
How do these qualify me:
As a fourth generation Montanan, I'm passionate about our state constitution's guarantee of the people's right to know what their government is doing. I believe it applies to the Judiciary branch as well as the rest of government. After five years of serving as Clerk of the Supreme Court, I know how the Court works and I have a record of using that knowledge to open the court up to public view and help Montanans understand what their justices are doing.
The need for reform at the Montana Supreme Court is a prominent issue, and as the first new Clerk 30 years when I first took office, I can help make that reform happen. I've been opening the court up to public view, shining sunlight into a court that was previously opaque to the taxpayers, and working for change. I expect that work to continue.
For the first time, any Montanan can sign up to receive every Supreme Court opinion emailed directly to them. That change happened on my watch as Clerk of the Supreme Court, and it's a major leap forward for transparency and customer service. We also list cases in the news on our website now, to help Montanans who don't always know about docket numbers and attorney names.
4th generation Montanan. Born in Missoula. Raised in Big Timber. Currently in Livingston. 57. Lawyer since 2003 so I have extensive knowledge of courts and clerk duties.
Governments are out of control at every level. Worldwide, one's own government is by far the greatest source of danger for most people. My role as clerk will be to protect the rights and freedoms of Montanans from government and the courts.
I will work constantly to make Court proceedings and rulings as public as possible.
