Ingrid G. Gustafson (born December 11, 1961) is an associate justice of the

Montana Supreme Court The Montana Supreme Court is the highest court of the state court system in the U.S. state of Montana. It is established and its powers defined by Article VII of the 1972 Montana Constitution. It is primarily an appellate court which reviews ...

. She was appointed in December 2017 by

Governor A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...

Steve Bullock Steve, Steven, or Stephen Bullock may refer to: *Steve Bullock (British politician) (born 1953), first directly elected mayor of the London Borough of Lewisham *Steve Bullock (American politician) (born 1966), 24th Governor of Montana (2013–2021) ...

to fill the seat of retiring Justice

Mike Wheat Mike Wheat (born 1947) was a justice of the Montana Supreme Court from 2010 to 2017. He was appointed to the court in 2010 by Governor Brian Schweitzer to fill the vacated seat of Justice John Warner. Background Wheat was born in Spokane, Washi ...

. She grew up primarily in

Billings, Montana Billings is the largest city in the U.S. state of Montana, with a population of 117,116 as of the 2020 census. Located in the south-central portion of the state, it is the seat of Yellowstone County and the principal city of the Billings Metr ...

, where she returned to work in private practice and then became a District Judge for Montana's 13th Judicial District,

Yellowstone County Yellowstone County is the most populous county in the U.S. state of Montana. As of the 2020 census, the population was 164,731. Its county seat is Billings. Yellowstone County is named for the Yellowstone River which roughly bisects the ...

prior to her appointment to the state Supreme Court.

Background

Gustafson was born in Wyoming and moved to Montana in 1972, where she graduated from

Billings West High School Billings West High School is a four-year comprehensive public high school in Billings, Montana Billings is the largest city in the U.S. state of Montana, with a population of 117,116 as of the 2020 census. Located in the south-central por ...

in 1979. Attending

Montana State University Montana State University (MSU) is a public land-grant research university in Bozeman, Montana. It is the state's largest university. MSU offers baccalaureate degrees in 60 fields, master's degrees in 68 fields, and doctoral degrees in 35 fiel ...

on a skiing scholarship, she graduated in 1983. She obtained her law degree from the

University of Montana Law School The Alexander Blewett III School of Law is a law school at the University of Montana in Missoula. It was established in 1911 and remains Montana's only law school. , the school accepted 83 applicants. The school tied for 103rd in the 2023 '' ...

in 1988. Gustafson worked for the

Social Security Administration The United States Social Security Administration (SSA) is an independent agency of the U.S. federal government that administers Social Security, a social insurance program consisting of retirement, disability and survivor benefits. To qualify fo ...

for two years, and entered private practice in 1991. In that period, she also was a

public defender A public defender is a lawyer appointed to represent people who otherwise cannot reasonably afford to hire a lawyer to defend themselves in a trial. Several countries provide people with public defenders, including the UK, Hungary and Singapore, ...

Rosebud County, Montana Rosebud County is a county in the state of Montana. It was established February 11, 1901, and has Montana vehicle license plate prefix 29. As of the 2020 census, the population was 8,329. Its county seat is Forsyth. Geography According to the ...

. From 1996 until 2004 she was a managing partner at the law firm Graves, Toennis and Gustafson in

. Gustafson was appointed as District Judge of Montana's 13th Judicial District by former Governor

Judy Martz Judith Helen Martz (née Morstein; July 28, 1943 – October 30, 2017) was an American Republican Party politician, businesswoman, and Olympian speed skater who served as the 22nd governor of Montana from 2001 to 2005. She was the first and only ...

, and took the bench in 2004. She succeeded retiring District Judge and former Montana Supreme Court justice

Diane Barz Diane MacDonald Barz (August 18, 1943 – May 14, 2014) was an American judge. She was the first woman to serve as a member of the Montana Supreme Court, a position she held from September 1989 to 1990. She also served as an assistant United ...

. She was re-elected to the bench in 2004, 2006 and 2012. Gustafson helped create Yellowstone County's

drug court Drug courts are judicially supervised court dockets that provide a sentencing alternative of treatment combined with supervision for people living with serious substance use. Drug courts are problem-solving courts that take a public health appr ...

in 2010.

References

1961 births Living people 21st-century American judges 21st-century American women judges Justices of the Montana Supreme Court Montana lawyers People from Laramie, Wyoming University of Montana alumni Public defenders {{Montana-state-judge-stub