Lake County District Court Judge Manley to retire this summer

Montana Gov. Greg Gianforte last week formally launched a search for a new judge for the Twentieth District Court, which covers Lake and Sanders counties, after Judge James A. Manley informed the Governor’s Office that he will retire this summer.

Manley, 72, has served as a judge in the district since 2013, when Gov. Steve Bullock appointed him to replace retiring Judge C.B. McNeil, who served as a judge in the district for nearly 30 years. He won re-election in 2014, when he won 64.2% of the vote.

Gianforte will appoint a replacement for Manley under a new process created during Montana’s most recent legislative session. Previously, the state’s Judicial Nominating Commission named judges. The Legislature abolished the commission, giving the governor the power to appoint judges.

Gianforte will accept applications for the vacancy through April 11. The application form is available online at nominatejudges.mt.gov. Qualified candidates from outside the county are allowed to apply, along with local candidates.

Once candidates are identified, there will be a 30-day public comment period beginning April 12. Once the comment period ends, the state will release a list of candidates who received at least three letters of support. Gianforte is required to make the appointment by June 10.

Manley said Monday that his last day on the bench will be May 31. His current term runs through 2026, but his replacement will have to run for re-election in 2024 and again in 2026, Manley said.

Before serving as a judge, Manley had a private practice in Polson for 38 years. He graduated from Sentinel High School in Missoula, then earned a degree in English literature from the University of Montana in 1973. He earned a law degree at Lewis and Clark Law School in Portland in 1978, after which he moved his family to Polson.

His first job in Lake County was as deputy county attorney. He also served as city attorney for St. Ignatius and Hot Springs early on in his career.

In a 2013 Leader article announcing Manley’s appointment to the bench, he said he “never really aspired to be a judge” and was contemplating retirement before friends and colleagues persuaded him to apply for the vacant judgeship.

“I started getting calls from judges and lawyers I respected who encouraged me to put in for it,” Manley said in 2013. “The more I considered it, the more I thought it was time in my life to step up and give back to the judicial system that has given so much to me and my family.”

Manley said Monday that the most obvious change in the job during his tenure has been an ever growing caseload that has nearly doubled since he began in 2013.

“The caseload has grown, and it’s driven by addiction, either alcohol or drugs,” he said.

Manley established the Lake County Drug Court in 2015. He said the treatment program — intended to keep addicts out of the state prison system and to improve recidivism rates — averages about 25 participants at any given time. In order to graduate, participants must remain clean, obtain employment and be self-sufficient with their own place to live. They also must perform community projects. Many live in sober living homes during the program's initial stages.

“I realized that what we have is not a criminal courtroom, it’s an addiction courtroom," Manley said of his decision to establish the Drug Court.

Along with giving people a better chance at turning their lives around, Manley points out that Drug Court also saves taxpayers a substantial amount of money by avoiding incarceration in a costly state prison system.

“Nobody realizes the cost. And that all comes from local property taxes and income taxes. If people realize how much this failed system is costing, most people start getting really interested in alternatives.”

Manley said operating the Drug Court will be part of the caseload for his replacement.

“I expect it will continue.”

He said he intends to remain a Lake County resident in retirement, though he expects there’s still a lot of travel left in his future.

"Mainly, I just want to do whatever I want and not know what day of the week it is."

He also commended all the people who work within the Lake County justice system, including his clerks, the Clerk of Court Office, court security and the Sheriff’s Department. He said his replacement will be in good hands.

“There’s a whole lot of people here who will help, who are more than happy to step forward and help you out. My best advice is to listen to them.”

Two judges serve the Twentieth District Court. Judge Deborah “Kim” Christopher is the district’s other judge. Christopher was first elected in 2000, when she became the first female judge to serve the district.