Montana Supreme Court

The Montana Supreme Court is the highest court in the state court system of Montana. It is defined by Article VII of the 1972 Montana Constitution and acts mainly as an appellate court, reviewing civil and criminal decisions of the state trial courts of general jurisdiction and certain specialized courts, with original jurisdiction in only a limited number of actions. Its chief justice and six associate justices are chosen in nonpartisan popular elections. The court meets in the Joseph P. Mazurek Building in Helena, an international style building finished in 1982. It follows the Montana Territorial Supreme Court, which Congress created in 1864 and which first sat at Virginia City in 1865; the present court was established by Article VIII of the 1889 Montana Constitution when Montana became a state.