Flathead Judge Dan Wilson Enters Montana Supreme Court Race

KALISPELL, MT — Flathead District Court Judge Dan Wilson has announced his candidacy for the Montana Supreme Court seat being vacated by Justice Beth Baker.

Wilson, who garnered over 250,000 votes in his first statewide campaign last year, said he is running to bring a conservative judicial philosophy to the state’s highest court.

“As a native Montanan and a conservative, I firmly believe Supreme Court Justices must apply the law and the constitution as written to all their rulings,” Wilson said in a statement. “I will not be beholden to any special interest group’s agenda, and recognize that the court’s role is to interpret the law as written – not create it.”

Wilson has served as a district court judge in Flathead County for eight years. Prior to that, he worked as a prosecutor in Great Falls. He is originally from Malta, where his grandfather operated the family farm and served as both city judge and justice of the peace for Phillips County.

During his tenure on the bench, Wilson has positioned himself as a tough-on-crime jurist. He previously ruled against a state-imposed mask mandate, citing concerns about its economic impact on Montana small businesses.