Tester Statement on Bipartisan Confirmation of Montanan Anthony Johnstone to Ninth Circuit

Following the bipartisan confirmation of Montanan Anthony Johnstone to the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, U.S. Senator Jon Tester issued the following statement:

“Montanans expect their judges to apply the law without bias, in a common sense way – and that’s exactly what Anthony Johnstone has done throughout his entire legal career. He has an outstanding record of service to the people of the Montana, and I have no doubt that he will serve the American people well on the Ninth Circuit bench. I’m confident that Anthony will continue standing up for our constitution, and I’m proud to have helped push this Montanan’s confirmation through the United States Senate.”

Tester was Montana’s only Senator to vote in favor of Johnstone’s confirmation, and has supported Johnstone throughout the entire nomination process. Tester spoke on the Senate floor today urging his colleagues to confirm Johnstone, and first introduced Johnstone at his first Senate Judiciary Committee hearing in October, 2022.

Johnstone’s nomination received broad bipartisan support in Montana and nationally. Read Johnstone’s letters of support here:

• Former Montana Attorneys General Steve Bullock (Democrat) and Tim Fox (Republican)
• Retired Montana Supreme Court Justices
• Former Republican Montana Solicitor General
• Montana Faith Leaders
• Chippewa Cree Tribe
• Little Shell Tribe Of Chippewa Indians Of Montana
• Assiniboine and Sioux Tribes of the Fort Peck Reservation
• Fort Belknap Indian Community
• Blackfeet Nation
• Current And Former Students
• Academics Support
• Former Judge Sidney Thomas Clerks
• Yale College Classmates
• Chicago Law School Classmates

Johnstone began his legal career by serving as a law clerk for Judge Sidney Thomas on the Ninth Circuit. He went on to serve as the State Solicitor and Assistant Attorney General at the Montana Department of Justice, and for more than a decade, he has taught at the University of Montana’s Alexander Blewett III School of Law.