Mercer to seek appointment to open 20th District Court judge seat
District Court Judge John Mercer said this week that he will apply for a two-year appointment to the bench following the recent resignation of judge-elect Britt Cotter.
The abrupt resignation of judge-elect Britt Cotter last week reopened a seat in the 20th District Court that had already been plagued with turmoil.
The Dept. 2 seat was vacated last April when Judge Kim Christopher resigned from office and announced that she would not be running for a fifth term. The resignation followed a turbulent period for the long-serving judge, during which she was removed from a child custody case by the Montana Supreme Court and was the subject of a judicial misconduct complaint filed by Missoula attorney Lance Jasper.
Following her resignation, Gov. Greg Gianforte accepted applications and nominations to fill the vacancy for the remainder of her term, which ends Jan. 5. Polson attorney John Mercer – former speaker of the Montana House of Representatives and chair of the Montana University System Board of Regents – was the sole applicant and was sworn in May 13.
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