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Yellowstone County prosecutor appointed state judge

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Posted at 11:46 AM, Dec 08, 2021
and last updated 2021-12-09 01:06:36-05

BILLINGS - Gov. Greg Gianforte announced Wednesday he is appointing Brett Linneweber to serve on the Thirteenth Judicial District Court in Yellowstone County.

Linneweber fills the vacancy created by Thirteenth Judicial District Judge Gregory Todd’s retirement.

“Brett Linneweber brings to the table years of experience as a county attorney where he’s managed some of the most urgent issues facing Yellowstone County,” Gianforte said in a press reelase. “Brett values the separate, distinct roles of our branches of government, and I’m confident Yellowstone County will be served well by the leadership, experience, and perspective he brings to the bench.”

Since 2014, Linneweber has served as Senior Deputy Yellowstone County Attorney, where the majority of his practice has been in criminal litigation, the press release states.

Prior to serving in Yellowstone County, Linneweber practiced in Park County for 13 years, serving as Deputy Park County Attorney from 2001 to 2005 and Park County Attorney from 2005 to 2014.

Linneweber graduated from Montana State University with a B.A. in Political Science in 1991, before earning his law degree at the University of Montana School of Law in 2000.

This fall, Gianforte announced an advisory council of attorneys and community leaders in Yellowstone County to assist in reviewing qualified candidates to fill the district court vacancy in the Thirteenth Judicial District.

“I’m grateful to each member of the advisory council for giving their time to review and recommend a highly-qualified nominee from within their community to serve the people of Yellowstone County,” Gianforte said in the press release.

On Sept. 8, the chief justice of the Supreme Court of Montana notified the governor of a vacancy in the Thirteenth Judicial District as a result of the upcoming retirement of Judge Gregory Todd.

On Sept. 14, the governor began soliciting applications from and nominations of any lawyer in good standing with the qualifications set forth by law for holding the position of district court judge. The application period closed on Oct. 13.

On Oct. 14, the governor initiated the 30-day public comment period. Public comment concluded on Nov. 13.

On Nov. 17, the advisory council held a public meeting to consider applicants, review Montanans’ public comments, and forwarded its recommendations to the governor.

The governor met with the top two candidates advanced by the advisory council.

Linneweber will be sworn in to serve on the Montana Thirteenth Judicial District in January of 2022.