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Judges and attorneys support Dirk Sandefur for state Supreme Court

| November 1, 2016 9:33 AM

The Montana Supreme Court decides everything from access to our lands and waters to the safety of our families and communities. We must elect the right candidate.

    Most judges recommend Judge Dirk Sandefur. They tell us he has established a superb record over the past quarter century as a police officer, a prosecutor and a judge.

    Most Montana attorneys, too, recommend Judge Sandefur. They say he has been fair and reasonable to all.

    The other candidate is Kristen Juras. Her supporters are spreading slanderous information about Judge Sandefur. As 24 judges recently stated: “Many Montana District Court Judges and Justices of the Supreme Court are deeply concerned by the dark money attacks on a present candidate for the Montana Supreme Court, and its potential impact on the integrity and independence of the Montana Judiciary.”

The judges discuss vicious, false attacks Juras’s supporters are making against Judge Sandefur.

    Prominent Montana lawyers have published a similar warning, “ABOTA defends district court judge against unfair attacks by dark money group.”

Juras’s background is mostly unknown, but there are red flags. Mostly, her career has been in academia. She has authored articles critical of our right to access our trout streams. Governor Schweitzer has admonished her for representing a large out-of-state corporation, which wanted to shift its multi-million dollar tax burden to Montanans.

    You have to ask yourself why so much secret, outside money is being spent to slander Judge Sandefur so we might vote for an unknown, Juras.

Erik B. Thueson

Jim Nelson,

Supreme Court Justice,Ret.

Syd McKenna,

Missoula

Jory Ruggiero, Bozeman

Michael Sherwood, Missoula

Tim McKittrick,

Great Falls

Jim Hunt,

Helena

Dennis Conner,

Great Falls

Keith Marr,

Great Falls

Pat Fox,

Helena

Monte Beck,

Bozeman

Gary Zadick,

Great Falls

John Heenan,

Billings

Zander Blewett,

Great Falls

Drew Blewett,

Great Falls

Anders Blewett,

Great Falls