Jim Shea | |
---|---|
Associate Justice of the Montana Supreme Court | |
Assumed office June 2, 2014 | |
Appointed by | Steve Bullock |
Preceded by | Brian Morris |
Personal details | |
Born | James Jeremiah Shea April 13, 1966 Butte, Montana, U.S. |
Spouse |
Kathy (
m. 1989) |
Children | 2 daughters |
Education | Butte Central Catholic High School |
Alma mater | University of Montana ( BA, JD) |
James Jeremiah Shea (born April 13, 1966) [1] is an associate justice of the Montana Supreme Court, appointed by Governor Steve Bullock. [2] He previously served as a judge on the Montana Workers' Compensation Court from 2005 to 2014. [3]
Shea graduated from the University of Montana School of Law in 1991 and started out as a law clerk for Chief Judge Paul G. Hatfield of the United States District Court for the District of Montana. Shea then worked as a trial attorney with the Metropolitan Public Defender in Portland, Oregon, before returning to Montana to practice mostly civil law. [2]
Shea was appointed by Gov. Brian Schweitzer to the Workers' Compensation Court in 2005 and was sworn into that position on September 7, 2005. He was reappointed to a second term in 2011. Prior to his appointment to the bench, he was in private practice, most recently as a partner at the Missoula law firm of Paoli & Shea. [2]
Governor Steve Bullock appointed Shea to serve on the Montana Supreme Court. Shea replaced Judge Brian Morris, who was confirmed and commissioned as a United States district judge for the United States District Court for the District of Montana in December 2013. [4] [5] Shea's appointment was confirmed by the Montana State Senate by a vote of 41-9. [6] He was sworn in on June 2, 2014. [7] Shea ran unopposed in the 2016 election and was retained with 81.5 percent of the vote. [8]
Shea was born and raised in Butte, Montana. He graduated from Butte Central Catholic High School. He and his wife Kathy met in college and married in 1989. [9] They have two daughters, Kate and Moira. [1]