Jim Shea (judge)

(Redirected from James Jeremiah Shea)

James Jeremiah Shea (born April 13, 1966)[1] is an associate justice of the Montana Supreme Court, appointed by Governor Steve Bullock.[2] He previously served as a judge on the Montana Workers' Compensation Court from 2005 to 2014.[3]

Jim Shea
Associate Justice of the Montana Supreme Court
Assumed office
June 2, 2014
Appointed bySteve Bullock
Preceded byBrian Morris
Personal details
Born
James Jeremiah Shea

(1966-04-13) April 13, 1966 (age 58)
Butte, Montana, U.S.
Spouse
Kathy
(m. 1989)
Children2 daughters
EducationUniversity of Montana (BA, JD)

Education and career

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Shea graduated from the University of Montana School of Law in 1991 and started out as a law clerk for Chief Judge Paul G. Hatfield of the United States District Court for the District of Montana. Shea then worked as a trial attorney with the Metropolitan Public Defender in Portland, Oregon, before returning to Montana to practice mostly civil law.[2]

State court service

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Shea was appointed by Gov. Brian Schweitzer to the Workers' Compensation Court in 2005 and was sworn into that position on September 7, 2005. He was reappointed to a second term in 2011. Prior to his appointment to the bench, he was in private practice, most recently as a partner at the Missoula law firm of Paoli & Shea.[2]

Appointment to Montana Supreme Court

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Governor Steve Bullock appointed Shea to serve on the Montana Supreme Court. Shea replaced Judge Brian Morris, who was confirmed and commissioned as a United States district judge for the United States District Court for the District of Montana in December 2013.[4][5] Shea's appointment was confirmed by the Montana State Senate by a vote of 41-9.[6] He was sworn in on June 2, 2014.[7] Shea ran unopposed in the 2016 election and was retained with 81.5 percent of the vote.[8]

Personal life

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Shea was born and raised in Butte, Montana. He graduated from Butte Central Catholic High School. He and his wife Kathy met in college and married in 1989.[9] They have two daughters, Kate and Moira.[1]

References

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  1. ^ a b "James Jeremiah Shea". Retrieved 7 May 2014.
  2. ^ a b c Volz, Matt (5 May 2014). "Gov. Steve Bullock appoints Workers' Compensation Judge Jim Shea to Montana Supreme Court". Associated Press. Archived from the original on 8 May 2014. Retrieved 7 May 2014.
  3. ^ "Workers Compensation Court".
  4. ^ "Governor Bullock Appoints Judge Jim Shea to Montana Supreme Court" (PDF). NEWS RELEASE GOVERNOR STEVE BULLOCK STATE OF MONTANA. 5 May 2014. Retrieved 7 May 2014.
  5. ^ Misra, Charlie. "Gov. Bullock Appoints Jim Shea to State Supreme Court". Beartooth NBC. Retrieved 7 May 2014.
  6. ^ "Senate confirms Shea as Supreme Court justice". Billings Gazette. March 31, 2015. Retrieved April 16, 2016.
  7. ^ Johnson, Charles (June 2, 2014). "Shea sworn in as newest Montana Supreme Court justice". Missoulian. Retrieved April 16, 2016.
  8. ^ "Montana Supreme Court Retain Jim Shea Results: 'Yes' Wins". The New York Times. December 13, 2016. Retrieved March 9, 2017.
  9. ^ Judge Jim Shea for Montana Supreme Court
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Legal offices
Preceded by Associate Justice of the Montana Supreme Court
2014–present
Incumbent