Beth Baker
Beth Baker is an Associate Justice of the Montana Supreme Court. Elected on November 2, 2010 and sworn into office on January 3, 2011, she became the fourth woman to serve on Montana's highest bench. She took the seat of the retired Justice W. William Leaphart. Originally from Spokane, Washington, she graduated magna cum laude in 1982 from the University of Washington with a bachelor's degree in Speech Communication. Justice Baker received her law degree, with high honors, from the University of Montana School of Law in 1985.
Justice Baker clerked for the Hon. Charles C. Lovell, U.S. District Judge for the District Court of Montana, from 1985 to 1989. For 11 years, from 1989 to 2000, she was an Assistant Attorney General with the Montana Department of Justice. During this time she served four years as Assistant Chief Deputy Attorney General and four years as Chief Deputy Attorney General. She left state government to do private practice at the Helena law firm of Hughes, Kellner, Sullivan and Alke from 2000 to 2010.
Justice Baker has served for ten years on the Montana Supreme Court's Access to Justice Commission, currently as its chair. She also serves as an ex officio director of the Montana Justice Foundation. In 2006, Justice Baker was awarded the State Bar of Montana's Professionalism Award.
