Sheriffs endorse Cory Swanson for chief judge

Law enforcement officers dedicate their lives to protecting public safety, maintaining order, and upholding justice. Our jobs are intrinsically linked to Montana’s justice system. When law enforcement and prosecutors can trust that the courts will handle criminal cases fairly, it gives us and the public confidence that we can keep our communities safe and deliver justice.

To achieve this goal, we are proud to endorse Cory Swanson for Chief Justice of the Montana Supreme Court. Swanson is the best candidate because he will be fair in criminal cases, keep politics out of the courts, and uphold the rule of law.

Swanson served as Broadwater County’s district attorney for a decade and built a solid reputation among law enforcement as a tough but fair prosecutor. He has a deep understanding of our state’s law and has proven himself to be an effective leader. No candidate in this race has more experience in Montana’s courts than Swanson.

We are confident that this positive track record will continue all the way to the state's highest court. And it couldn't come at a better time.

Nationally, public confidence in the judicial system is declining. Activist judges, those with political agendas who routinely flout the law, have created instability and left many Americans dissatisfied. The problem is getting worse as more political disagreements end up being resolved in court, rather than through the legislative process.

From a law enforcement perspective, it is frightening to see activist judges and woke prosecutors in major American cities turning a blind eye to many crimes. Drug addiction, property crimes, and violent assaults on innocent people are reaching shocking levels in some cities. And too many activist judges are simply releasing criminals back onto the streets to reoffend.

We see the same signs in the courts of Montana. We all know of cases where high-quality investigations led to the conviction of some of our most dangerous criminals. The Montana Supreme Court then reviewed the case, changed the rules of the game, and overturned the jury's guilty verdict based on these new rules of investigation.

Law enforcement has a tough job, made even tougher by activist judges who send the message that they don’t trust the officers who put their lives on the line every day they carry their badges and guns. Worse yet, criminals have become more audacious, leading to more brazen crimes in our communities.

Judicial activism is not just about one side winning a political fight and the other losing. It is also about judges not following the law, but changing it to suit themselves. This has the effect of reducing public confidence in our courts and, ultimately, making us believe that every American has the same rights and access to justice as everyone else.

Many Montanans are ready for an independent judiciary that will uphold the law and do justice, use common sense in evaluating the hard work of all involved in the law enforcement and prosecution process, and bring a conservative – not activist – judicial temperament to the courtroom. If the idea of ​​keeping politics out of the courtroom resonates with you, we encourage you to join us in supporting Swanson for Chief Justice of the Montana Supreme Court.

Broadwater County Sheriff Nick Rauser, Cascade County Sheriff Jesse Slaughter, Flathead County Sheriff Brian Heino, Missoula County Sheriff Jeremiah Petersen, Gallatin County Sheriff Dan Springer, Beaverhead County Sheriff Dave Wendt and Ravalli County Sheriff Steve Holton.