Katherine M. Bidegaray (born April 27, 1960)[1] is an American lawyer who has served as a judge of the Montana's 7th Judicial District since 2003. She is an associate justice-elect of the Montana Supreme Court.
Katherine M. Bidegaray | |
|---|---|
| Associate Justice of the Montana Supreme Court | |
Elect | |
| Assuming office January 6, 2025 | |
| Succeeding | Dirk Sandefur |
| Personal details | |
| Born | April 27, 1960 Sidney, Montana, U.S. |
| Education | University of Montana (BA, JD) |
Education
editBidegaray is the child of Basque immigrants.[2] She was born and raised in Sidney, Montana. She graduated valedictorian from Culbertson High in 1978.[3] She later received a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Montana in 1982 and a Juris Doctor from the Alexander Blewett III School of Law of the University of Montana in 1985.[4]
Career
editAfter graduating law school, Bidegaray began her career as an insurance department staff attorney and then as deputy securities commissioner at the Montana State Auditor's office. During her career she also served as a hearing examiner at the Montana Office of Public Instruction. She later established her private practice in Sidney, Montana.[3] She was elected to the seventh district court in 2002, taking office in 2003.[5] She was retained by voters in 2008 and 2014.[2]
Montana Supreme Court
editBidegaray was one of six candidates to file for election to a seat on the Montana Supreme Court.[6] She would go on to finish first in the primary election,[7] facing fellow District Judge Dan Wilson for election to the seat held by Justice Dirk Sandefur.[8] Bidegaray won the general election held on November 5, 2024, defeating challenger Wilson.[9]
Electoral history
edit| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nonpartisan | Katherine Bidegaray | 299,480 | 54% | |
| Nonpartisan | Dan Wilson | 254,294 | 46% | |
| Total votes | 553,774 | 100.00 | ||
References
edit- ^ "Katherine Bidegaray". The Basque Museum and Cultural Center.
- ^ a b Sagner, Denali (March 4, 2024). "Supreme Court Candidate Bidegaray Vows to Protect Constitutional Rights at Flathead Campaign Events". Flathead Beacon. Retrieved November 26, 2024.
- ^ a b "Biography". Judge Katherine Bidegaray for Montana Supreme Court. Archived from the original on August 6, 2024. Retrieved November 26, 2024.
- ^ "Katherine M. Bidegaray Judge Profile on Martindale.com". www.martindale.com. Retrieved November 26, 2024.
- ^ "Q&A: Katherine Bidegaray, Candidate for Montana Supreme Court Seat #3". Montana Public Radio. May 15, 2024. Retrieved November 26, 2024.
- ^ Ambarian, Jonathon (May 17, 2024). "MTN profiles candidates for Montana Supreme Court associate justice". KTVH. Retrieved November 26, 2024.
- ^ Kimbel-Sannit, Arren (June 5, 2024). "Lynch, Swanson, Wilson and Bidegaray advance to Montana Supreme Court general election". Montana Free Press. Retrieved November 26, 2024.
- ^ Dresser, Maggie (October 19, 2024). "District Court Judges Dan Wilson of Kalispell and Katherine Bidegaray of Sidney Face off in Montana Supreme Court Race". Flathead Beacon. Retrieved November 26, 2024.
- ^ Drew, Micah (November 6, 2024). "Elections 2024: Cory Swanson, Katherine Bidegaray win races for open seats on Montana Supreme Court". Bozeman Daily Chronicle. Retrieved November 25, 2024.
- ^ "Unofficial Election Night Results". Montana Secretary of State. Retrieved November 26, 2024.
External links
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