HELENA, Mont. (Legal Newsline) -- Montana lawyer Ed Sheehy announced Thursday he is running for the state Supreme Court in 2012.
Justice James Nelson is retiring when his term ends in early 2013, leaving a spot open on the state's high court.
According to the Billings Gazette, Sheehy is the first to enter the race.
He told the newspaper that his 33 years of experience as a lawyer make him a good candidate.
"I have a lot of respect for attorneys and judges, and the people because of my interest in justice," Sheehy told the Gazette.
"The reason why I'm doing this is the Supreme Court is the last place where you can get justice (in Montana). Justice is what is fair, right and just, and that's what I would try to obtain in every case."
Sheehy received his bachelor's from Carroll College in Helena, Mont., in 1974. He earned his law degree from Gonzaga University.
He was in private practice in Helena for 16 years before working for the Office of the State Public Defender since 2006.
He and his wife Donna have two sons, both of whom are in college.
And according to the Gazette, Sheehy already has ties to the Court: He is the nephew of former Montana Supreme Court Justice John C. Sheehy.
From Legal Newsline: Reach Jessica Karmasek by email at jessica@legalnewsline.com.
Attorney enters Mont. SC race
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