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Ballot Explained

Appellate courts · November 3, 2026

Who's on the appellate court ballot in Montana

2 candidates are on the ballot. One ballot can carry several appellate seats, and the note below sets out which contest is which. For each judge: the record, any official performance evaluation, and the arguments published for and against them.

Candidates
2
Sitting judges
0 of 2
On the ballot
No party label
State primary
Jun 2

Candidates appear in ballot order. We do not rank them, score them, or recommend one — here is how this is put together, and here is what the office actually does.

What is on this ballot

One seat on the seven-member Montana Supreme Court is on the November 3, 2026 ballot, and every voter in the state votes on it. It is an open seat: Justice Beth Baker is retiring after two terms. Two candidates are running, both Flathead County district court judges — Amy Eddy and Dan Wilson. Montana judicial elections are nonpartisan and no party label is printed next to either name, which is why no party is listed below; how each candidate has handled party involvement is recorded for both. Because only two candidates filed, both automatically advanced from the June 2, 2026 primary, where Eddy took 51.4% and Wilson 48.6%. Montana has no intermediate appellate court, so this Supreme Court seat is the only appellate contest on the ballot. Roster from the Montana Secretary of State's primary results as reported by KTVH and the Daily Montanan.

2 candidates · ballot order · open seat

Medium confidenceMedium confidenceThe candidate's stated positions and basic record are documented, but coverage is thin — often little independent reporting, or criticism from only one side.What would raise it: More independent reporting, a documented voting record, or published criticism from a named opponent would raise this.

What they say they stand for

Their own words. Claims, not verified facts.

  • Judicial restraint: in her words, "we should not be deciding things we don't have to decide."
  • That "Montanans are entitled to fair, impartial, nonpartisan justice."
  • Keeping political parties out of judicial campaigns; she has declined to attend party events or meet with party leaders.
  • Skepticism of the phrase "judicial activism," which she describes as "primarily a pejorative term used by someone who doesn't like the result."

What they’ve actually done

Documented record from official sources.

  • District court judge, Flathead County, Montana.
  • Placed first in the June 2, 2026 nonpartisan primary with 140,131 votes (51.40%).
  • Has publicly criticised a recently enacted Montana law permitting political parties to contribute directly to judicial candidates.
  • Has declined invitations to political party events and meetings with party leaders during the campaign.
  • Endorsed by Montana Conservation Voters.

Arguments in favor

We found none published about this candidate in the sources reviewed.

Arguments against

We found none published about this candidate in the sources reviewed.

What we couldn’t verify

  • No published criticism of Eddy by name was found. Searched: Montana Republican Party material, the Wilson campaign, Montana Public Radio, Daily Montanan, Montana Free Press, KTVH and the Flathead Beacon.
  • Montana does not run an official judicial performance evaluation commission, and no State Bar of Montana rating of the candidates was found.
  • No independent analysis of Eddy's rulings as a district judge was found.
Sources (4)⌄
  1. 1Concerns over partisanship, 'judicial activism' shape Montana Supreme Court race — Montana Public Radio — mtpr.org
  2. 2Amy Eddy — 2026 Montana Election Guide, Montana Free Press — projects.montanafreepress.org
  3. 32026 Montana Supreme Court election — Wikipedia — en.wikipedia.org
  4. 4Montana GOP financially backs Wilson for SupCo, opposes nonpartisan judicial elections — Daily Montanan — dailymontanan.com

What they say they stand for

Their own words. Claims, not verified facts.

  • A judicial approach he describes as that of a "classic constitutional conservative," valuing "facts over feelings and principles above all else."
  • Returning the Montana Supreme Court to what he calls its best norms, arguing it has engaged in judicial activism.
  • Narrower review of established sentencing law — he has criticised the court's 2024 decision overturning a mandatory DUI penalty as "a radical departure...from established ways of reviewing cases."

What they’ve actually done

Documented record from official sources.

  • District court judge, Flathead County, Montana.
  • Candidate for the Montana Supreme Court in 2024.
  • Placed second in the June 2, 2026 nonpartisan primary with 132,503 votes (48.60%).
  • Received $20,000 in direct contributions from the Montana Republican Party, according to filings with the Montana Commissioner of Political Practices.
  • Headlined a Montana Republican Party event during the campaign; endorsed by the Montana Republican Party and by its chair, Art Wittich.
  • Has said of party support that he cannot control who backs him, because supporters "pick you."

Arguments in favor

We found none published about this candidate in the sources reviewed.

Arguments against

We found none published about this candidate in the sources reviewed.

What we couldn’t verify

  • No published criticism of Wilson by name was found. Searched: Montana Democratic Party material, the Eddy campaign, Montana Public Radio, Daily Montanan, Montana Free Press, KTVH and the Flathead Beacon.
  • Montana does not run an official judicial performance evaluation commission, and no State Bar of Montana rating of the candidates was found.
  • No independent analysis of Wilson's rulings as a district judge was found.
Sources (3)⌄
  1. 1Concerns over partisanship, 'judicial activism' shape Montana Supreme Court race — Montana Public Radio — mtpr.org
  2. 2Montana GOP financially backs Wilson for SupCo, opposes nonpartisan judicial elections — Daily Montanan — dailymontanan.com
  3. 32026 Montana Supreme Court election — Wikipedia — en.wikipedia.org

Positions and criticism are quoted from the named sources, not our assessments. This is built to help you start getting informed — confirm the official candidate list with your election authority before you vote.

This is one contest on a longer ballot

A Montana ballot also carries state legislative districts, county offices, judicial seats and often local questions — and which of them you vote on is decided by your street address, not your city or ZIP code.

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Voting in Montana

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Your ballot is determined by your election authority, not by us. Verify your registration, precinct, and sample ballot at Montana Secretary of State.

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