Incumbent staves off challenger in Clerk of Montana Supreme Court race

In addition to electing two members of the Montana Supreme Court, voters will also be choosing a Supreme Court clerk this year. Unlike the justices themselves, the clerk is a partisan position, and we now know who the Republican and Democrat candidates will be for the general election.

Republican incumbent Bowen Greenwood will face Democrat Erin Farris-Olsen and Libertarian Roger Roots in November for the position of Clerk of the Montana Supreme Court.

Greenwood, a former public information representative for elected officials and executive director of the Montana Republican Party, was elected in 2018. He staved off a Republican challenge from Montana Senate President Sen. Jason Ellsworth. Decision Desk HQ called the race for Greenwood at 7:23 a.m. on Wednesday, with Greenwood at 52% of the vote and Ellsworth garnering 48% of the vote when it was called.

Farris-Olsen is an attorney and consultant from Helena. She was called the winner of the Democrat primary at 8:38 p.m. on Thursday.

Libertarian statewide candidates did not have a primary ballot because they were all running unopposed.

The clerk’s office is responsible for receiving legal filings for Supreme Court cases and ensuring they follow the Court’s rules. They also handle the court’s records and manage the public’s access to them.

Read MTN’s full profiles on the Clerk of the Montana Supreme Court candidates here.