James A. Rice (born November 15, 1957)[3] is an American attorney, judge, and politician. He is one of the six Associate Justices currently on the Montana Supreme Court. Rice won an unopposed retention vote in 2014.
James A. Rice | |
|---|---|
| Associate Justice of the Montana Supreme Court | |
| Assumed office March 15, 2001 | |
| Governor | Judy Martz |
| Preceded by | Karla M. Gray |
| Personal details | |
| Born | James Arthur Rice[1] November 15, 1957 CFS Ramore, Ontario, Canada |
| Political party | Republican[2] |
| Spouse | Norine |
| Children | 3 |
| Alma mater | Montana State University (BA) University of Montana (JD) |
Early life and education edit
Rice was born to parents in the United States Military who were stationed at Ramore Air Force Base, near Kirkland Lake, Ontario, Canada.[3] Rice grew up in eastern Montana, and graduated in 1975.[3] He obtained his pilot's license at 17, and worked in aviation-related jobs while attending Montana State University.[3] He graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in political science in 1979, and then earned a Juris Doctor from the University of Montana School of Law in 1982.[3]
Career edit
Rice began his career as a public defender in Lewis and Clark County, Montana for four years.[3]
He was elected to three terms in the Montana House of Representatives, and served as House Majority Whip in the 1993 session.[3] He became a partner in the law firm of Jackson & Rice in Helena, Montana, in 1985.[3] On March 15, 2001, he was sworn in as an associate justice of the Montana Supreme Court[3] after appointment by Governor Judy Martz.[4] Rice filled the seat vacated by Karla M. Gray when she was elected Chief Justice of the Montana Supreme Court, November 2000.[4] In 2002, Rice won election to the remainder of the judicial term to which he was appointed.[3] In 2006, he won an unopposed retention vote.[3] In 2014, he defeated W. David Herbert to win a third term.[5]
References edit
- ^ https://courts.mt.gov/courts/supreme/bios/rice
- ^ "2000 Montana Attorney General Election". OurCampaigns.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k "courts.mt.gov > supreme > bios > rice". courts.mt.gov. Retrieved 2017-12-19.
- ^ a b Billings, Erin P. (February 23, 2001). "Rice gets high court seat". Independent Record.
- ^ "Wheat, Rice win re-election to Montana Supreme Court". 4 November 2014.