District judge interviews planned for December 18

Seven candidates will be interviewed Monday, December 18 for the upcoming 5th Judicial District (Jefferson, Madison, and Beaverhead Counties) vacancy.

Luke Michael Berger, Jed Clayton Fitch, Lori Ann Harshbarger, Mathew James Johnson, Alice Suzanne Nellen, Valerie D. Wilson and Robert R. Zenker will all be interviewing to replace Judge Loren Tucker, who will retire in January of next year.

Interviews will begin at 8:30 a.m. in the district court courtroom in the Beaverhead County courthouse, 2 South Pacific Street in Dillon. Deliberations will follow the last interview. The interviews and deliberations are open to the public; however, public comment regarding the applicants will not be taken because the comment period has closed.

The Commission will forward the names of three to five nominees to the Governor for appointment. The person appointed by the Governor is subject to Senate confirmation during the 2017 legislative session. The position is subject to election in 2018. The successful candidate will serve for a six-year term.

Judicial Nomination Commission members are District Judge Richard Simonton of Glendive; Janice Bishop of Missoula; Karl Englund of Missoula; Elizabeth Halverson of Billings; Hal Harper of Helena; Lane Larson of Billings; and Nancy Zadick of Great Falls.