Cuffe, Managhan vie for judge post

Two 46-year-old men with roots in Lincoln County are vying to be judge of the 19th Judicial District Court on Nov. 8.

Matt Cuffe, a Libby native and partner in Worden Thane, a Missoula law firm, and William Managhan, a public defender based out of Kalispell whose relatives own businesses in Lincoln County, including a furniture store and gravel pit, are hoping to replace current Judge James Wheelis in January.

Both candidates, who earned law degrees from the University of Montana, say they are more qualified for the position.

Managhan said he’s the only one who has practiced law in Lincoln County (through his work representing clients as a public defender), and he knows the various entities involved in the legal system and has relationships with them.

Managhan said he clerked for the Montana Supreme Court and helped write over 40 opinions, worked for a small law firm and then started his own law firm, where he worked on civil issues for 10 years. Managhan said he argued some 20 cases before the Montana Supreme Court when he was in private practice.

He was asked to become a public defender in 2013, he said, and took the job despite a substantial cut in pay. (He has worked out of Flathead County since filing to run for office.)

“I’m the only one who’s represented people facing felony charges,” he said.

Cuffe, meanwhile, said he’s more qualified because of the “constant growth” of his law practice in “ever-expanding areas.”

Cuffe notes that he works for the fifth largest law firm in the state and his cases run the gamut from estate planning to tax work, bankruptcies and land use. He primarily handles civil litigation with a small amount of family and criminal law, including misdemeanor trial work. He has been at the firm for 17 years, plus three years at the Williams law firm, also in Missoula.

Cuffe noted that he represents clients in Lincoln County, including the county and the Kootenai Valley Stakeholders Coalition, in a battle with the Alliance for the Wild Rockies over the East Reservoir Logging Project. He is one of three lawyers working as a team on that case, and helped win a victory in U.S. District Court in Missoula. The case is currently before the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals.

Managhan brought up the spectre of conflict of interest. “It’s easier for me to be fair and impartial,” he said. “My opponent’s dad (state Rep. Mike Cuffe) is a politician,” adding this will represent “a serious conflict of interest, depending on the case.”

Cuffe said the situation gets down to “whether a judge has to recuse himself or not. It doesn’t create an inherent conflict of interest. You’d have to look at the case.”

He added that he is currently representing a client, Lolo Liquor, that is suing the state for actions the Legislature took that his father voted for.

Managhan said he ran after he was asked to do so by some in the legal community after Cuffe announced that he was going to run.

“A judge’s job is to defend people’s Constitutional rights, follow the law and decide cases fairly,” Managhan said. “If you’ve appeared in court, you realize how rare that is! It’s offensive and it really bothers me. Rather than just complain, I decided to be part of the solution.”

Managhan said he took a pay cut to be a public defender because he believes in fairness and constitutional rights. “Justice is not just for the wealthy,” he said.

He is married to Melody Managhan. They have seven children.

Cuffe said he had been thinking about running for three or four years before he threw his hat in the ring.

“It’s the only place I would want to be a district court judge,” he said. “It’s an important race. You do want to know the people. My connections run long and deep,” noting he represents clients in Troy, Eureka and Libby.

Cuffe said he’s well respected in the legal community, and has the highest ratings one can get. “It’s not what you’ve done. It’s how you’ve done it,” he added.

He is married to Christi Cuffe. The couple has two children.

Caleb M. Soptelean can be reached at 293-4124 or by email at csoptelean@thewesternnews.com.