Cory Swanson

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Cory Swanson
Image of Cory Swanson
Montana Supreme Court Chief Justice
Tenure

2025 - Present

Term ends

2032

Years in position

0

Elections and appointments
Last elected

November 5, 2024

Education

Bachelor's

Carroll College, 2000

Law

University of Montana School of Law, 2004

Military

Service / branch

Montana Army National Guard

Personal
Profession
Attorney
Contact

Cory Swanson is a judge of the Montana Supreme Court Chief Justice. He assumed office on January 1, 2025. His current term ends on December 31, 2032.

Swanson ran for election for judge of the Montana Supreme Court Chief Justice. He won in the general election on November 5, 2024.

Biography

Cory Swanson has served in the Montana Army National Guard since 1997. Swanson earned a bachelor's degree from Carroll College in 2000. His career experience includes working as a law firm partner and deputy attorney general.[1]

Elections

2024

See also: Montana Supreme Court elections, 2024

General election

General election for Montana Supreme Court Chief Justice

Cory Swanson defeated Jerry Lynch in the general election for Montana Supreme Court Chief Justice on November 5, 2024.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Cory Swanson
Cory Swanson (Nonpartisan)
 
54.3
 
272,969
Image of Jerry Lynch
Jerry Lynch (Nonpartisan)
 
45.7
 
229,953

Total votes: 502,922
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Nonpartisan primary election

Nonpartisan primary for Montana Supreme Court Chief Justice

Cory Swanson and Jerry Lynch defeated Doug Marshall in the primary for Montana Supreme Court Chief Justice on June 4, 2024.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Cory Swanson
Cory Swanson (Nonpartisan)
 
46.3
 
121,549
Image of Jerry Lynch
Jerry Lynch (Nonpartisan)
 
37.5
 
98,622
Image of Doug Marshall
Doug Marshall (Nonpartisan)
 
16.2
 
42,562

Total votes: 262,733
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Election campaign finance

Candidates in this election submitted campaign finance reports to the Commissioner of Political Practices. Click here to access those reports.

Satellite spending

Satellite spending describes political spending not controlled by candidates or their campaigns; that is, any political expenditures made by groups or individuals that are not directly affiliated with a candidate. This includes spending by political party committees, super PACs, trade associations, and 501(c)(4) nonprofit groups.[2][3][4]

If available, this section includes links to online resources tracking satellite spending in this election. To notify us of a resource to add, email us.


Endorsements

Ballotpedia did not identify endorsements for Swanson in this election.

Campaign themes

2024

Ballotpedia survey responses

See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection

Cory Swanson did not complete Ballotpedia's 2024 Candidate Connection survey.

Campaign ads


May 14, 2024

View more ads here:

Campaign finance summary


Note: The finance data shown here comes from the disclosures required of candidates and parties. Depending on the election or state, this may represent only a portion of all the funds spent on their behalf. Satellite spending groups may or may not have expended funds related to the candidate or politician on whose page you are reading this disclaimer. Campaign finance data from elections may be incomplete. For elections to federal offices, complete data can be found at the FEC website. Click here for more on federal campaign finance law and here for more on state campaign finance law.


Cory Swanson campaign contribution history
YearOfficeStatusContributionsExpenditures
2024* Montana Supreme Court Chief JusticeWon general$420,961 $0
Grand total$420,961 $0
Sources: OpenSecretsFederal Elections Commission ***This product uses the openFEC API but is not endorsed or certified by the Federal Election Commission (FEC).
* Data from this year may not be complete


State supreme court judicial selection in Montana

See also: Judicial selection in Montana

The seven justices on the Montana Supreme Court are selected through nonpartisan elections to eight-year terms. When their terms expire, justices must run for re-election if they wish to remain on the court. If unopposed, a justice must stand for a yes-no retention election.[5][6]

Qualifications

To serve on this court, a judge must be:

  • a U.S. citizen;
  • a state resident for at least two years; and
  • licensed to practice law in the state for at least five years.[5]

Chief justice

The chief justice of the court is selected through a nonpartisan election to an eight-year term.[5]

Vacancies

See also: How vacancies are filled in state supreme courts

In the event of a midterm vacancy, the governor is responsible for appointing a new justice to the court. Once confirmed by the Montana state Senate, the justice will hold office until the next regular election. At that time, the appointed justice will be able to run for re-election or retention to complete the remainder of the unexpired term.[6]

The map below highlights how vacancies are filled in state supreme courts across the country.

See also

Montana Judicial Selection More Courts
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Courts in Montana
Montana Supreme Court
Elections: 2013201420152016201720182019202020212022202320242025
Gubernatorial Appointments
Judicial Selection in Montana
Federal Courts
Other State Courts
Local Courts

External links

Footnotes

Political offices
Preceded by
-
Montana Supreme Court Chief Justice
2025-Present
Succeeded by
-