New night court debuts next week in Justice Court

Challenging a traffic ticket is about to become a little more convenient.

Next week, Flathead County Justice Court will begin holding an evening session, allowing people to argue their citations before a judge without having to miss work or school.

The new night court will be open every other Tuesday at 5 p.m. to handle initial appearances and people challenging tickets issued by the Montana Highway Patrol, Flathead County Sheriff's Office, Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks, the Montana Department of Transportation, and county animal control.

Criminal and civil trials still will be heard during the court's daytime hours Monday, Wednesday and Friday between 9 a.m. and noon.

The court's expanded hours should fit better into people's schedules while alleviating some of the pressure on court staff during the busiest daytime periods, Justice of the Peace Mark Sullivan said.

"You only have to be here once during the day to see why we have a need for this," said Sullivan, who will sit on the bench for the night court's inaugural run. "It will help us as much as it helps people coming to court; it's mutually beneficial."

For Sullivan, night court began as a campaign promise last November. It then took six months after he took office in January to coordinate efforts with court staff and administrators to accommodate the changes.

"We're asking [our staff] to work outside of normal hours," said Sullivan. "We wanted to allow time for everyone to get things worked out. We want to make sure we're going to do it right."

Neither Sullivan or Justice Court's other judge, David Ortley, is sure what to expect.

"We'll have to see how much demand there is," said Ortley, who has been on the court for eight years. "We're going to have to balance that with our limited resources. But I'm sure we're going to make it work internally."

Should the night court idea take off, Sullivan and Ortley would look into expanding night hours even further, they said.

"I'd love to have people start to take advantage of it," Sullivan said.

Reporter Nicholas Ledden may be reached at 748-4441 or by e-mail at nledden@dailyinterlake.com