Mike McGrath

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Mike McGrath
Chief Justice of the Montana Supreme Court
Incumbent
Assumed office January 5, 2009
Preceded by	Karla M. Gray
22nd Attorney General of Montana
In office January 5, 2001 – January 5, 2009
Governor	Judy Martz Brian Schweitzer
Preceded by	Joseph Mazurek
Succeeded by	Steve Bullock
Personal details
Born	(1947-08-22) August 22, 1947 (age 74) Butte, Montana, U.S.
Spouse(s)	Joy
Children	2
Education	University of Montana, Missoula (BA) Gonzaga University (JD)
Military service
Allegiance	United States
Branch/service	United States Air Force
Years of service	1970–1972

Michael McGrath (born August 22, 1947) is an American lawyer and judge who has served as the Chief Justice of the Montana Supreme Court since 2009. He was elected in 2008. He also served as the Attorney General of Montana from 2000 to 2008.^[1] He is a veteran of the United States Air Force.

Early life and education[]

A native of Butte, Montana,^[1] McGrath graduated from the University of Montana with a Bachelor of Arts in business administration in 1970 and received his Juris Doctor from Gonzaga University School of Law in 1975. He is the recipient of the 2021 Gonzaga Law Medal.^[1]

Legal career[]

He was a Reginald Heber Smith Community Lawyer Fellow in Reno, Nevada from 1975 to 1976, and Montana's Assistant Attorney General from 1976 to 1982.

He served as County Attorney for Lewis and Clark County for five terms spanning 1982 to 2000. In his eighteen years as a prosecutor, McGrath focused on family violence issues, including domestic abuse and sexual assault of children. He ran for Governor of Montana in 1992, but lost in the Democratic primary to former State Representative Dorothy Bradley, who in turn lost the general election to Marc Racicot.

He is a former chair of the Conference of Western Attorneys General and served as president of the Montana County Attorneys' Association.

Personal life[]

He and his wife Joy have two sons and five grandchildren.

See also[]

• Baxter v. Montana

References[]

• [1] Chief Justice Mike McGrath Biography
• [2] Mike McGrath (MT)] at Project Vote Smart
• Montana Department of Justice Wikipedia article on McGrath term start/end dates