Snipes Ruiz appointed district judge

Havre Daily News staff

The office of Gov. Steve Bullock announced Monday afternoon that Bullock appointed Regional Deputy Public Defender Kaydee Snipes Ruiz as the judge in the 12th Judicial District that includes Chouteau, Hill and Liberty counties.

Snipes Ruiz, whose appointment must be confirmed by the state Senate this legislative session, takes the place of Judge Dan Boucher, who retired in November.

Havre attorney Randy Randolph, Big Sandy Attorney Thomas Sheehy and Chouteau County Attorney Steve Gannon also applied for the position. The Judicial Nomination Commission submitted the names of Snipes Ruiz, Randolph and Sheehy to Bullock for consideration for the appointment.

Snipes Ruiz, a 2004 C.M. Russell High School graduate, earned a Bachelor of Science in sociology from Montana State University in Bozeman in 2008 and her law degree from Gonzaga University in Spokane in 2011.

She went to work for Lorang Law in Havre in 2011, then joined the Office of the State Public Defender as an assistant attorney in 2014.

The position of judge for the 12th Judicial District will be up for election in 2020, with the successful candidate then serving the remainder of Boucher's term, through 2025.