UPDATED: Eddy remains strong lead in SupCo

As of midnight, the Montana Secretary of State’s Office shows judge Amy Eddy with a 61-39 lead over judge Dan Wilson for the open Montana Supreme Court seat.

Eddy earned 218,297 votes to Wilson’s 138,744.

The race remains uncalled.

8:45 p.m.:

It’s too early to call the nonpartisan race for an open seat on the Montana Supreme Court, but the Montana Secretary of State’s Office, which show 59,360 ballots have been processed statewide as of 8:45 p.m.

In the race to replace outgoing Justice Beth Baker, Amy Eddy and Dan Wilson were separated by 12,000 ballots in early returns, with Eddy leading.

There are seven seats on the Montana Supreme Court, including the chief justice. All positions for the state’s highest court, and only appellate court, are elected statewide, rather than by district, and are nonpartisan. 

Both candidates in the race for the open seat are currently district court judges in Flathead County

Eddy was appointed to the bench in 2015, and was also selected to preside over the state’s asbestos claims court. 

Wilson is a former prosecutor who has served as a Flathead District Court Judge for 10 years. He ran for the state Supreme Court in 2024, losing by 14 points. 

Both candidates declared the need for independence in the judicial branch during the campaign, but took different approaches, with Wilson aligning with the state Republican Party in a show of partisanship for the nonpartisan race. 

Voters are also deciding whether to support a constitutional amendment, CI-132, to keep Montana judicial races nonpartisan.