Montana Corrections Director Brian Gootkin Nominated as U.S. Marshal

HELENA — Montana Department of Corrections Director Brian Gootkin has been nominated by President Trump to serve as U.S. Marshal for the District of Montana, the White House announced Tuesday.

The nomination would replace Craig J. Anderson, who currently serves as U.S. Marshal for the District of Montana. Anderson began his career as a Deputy Juvenile Probation Officer, served 24 years as Chief Probation Officer for Montana’s Seventh Judicial District, and was Sheriff of Dawson County from 2003 to 2014.

Gootkin comes to the federal nomination from the Gallatin County Sheriff’s Office, where he served as sheriff from 2012 until his appointment as corrections director. Throughout his career with that office beginning in 1993, Gootkin held positions including patrol deputy, detective with the Missouri River Drug Task Force, jail administrator and undersheriff.

Appointed by Governor Greg Gianforte to serve as the director of the Montana Department of Corrections in 2021, Gootkin has focused on reducing Montana’s rate of recidivism – the amount of offenders who relapse into the system after their release. “We have to re-evaluate the entire system,” Gootkin said during his 2021 state confirmation hearing as corrections director.

Prior to joining the Gallatin County Sheriff’s Office, Gootkin served as a security specialist with the United States Air Force from 1989 to 1993 at Malmstrom Air Force Base in Great Falls.

The U.S. Marshal for the District of Montana oversees federal law enforcement operations across the state, including fugitive apprehension, prisoner transport, witness protection, and court security for federal facilities.

Montana’s federal district covers the entire state, with primary offices in Billings, Great Falls, Helena, and Missoula. The marshal position requires Senate confirmation and carries a four-year term.

If confirmed by the Senate, Gootkin would transition from state corrections leadership to federal law enforcement operations, bringing his experience managing Montana’s correctional facilities to federal marshal duties.

The nomination was part of a broader package of federal appointments announced Monday, including U.S. attorneys and marshals across multiple states.

Senate confirmation proceedings for the nomination are expected to begin in the coming weeks, with Montana’s congressional delegation likely to play a key role in the confirmation process.