Bozeman, MontanaBozeman Appeals
Bozeman Appeals Lawyers: Montana Supreme Court and Ninth Circuit Appeals from Gallatin County Cases
Boland Aarab PLLP.
Civil judgments from the Eighteenth Judicial District Court in Bozeman are appealed to the Montana Supreme Court, usually within 30 days of entry of judgment, or 60 days when a government is a party. Federal cases from the Butte Division go to the Ninth Circuit. Most appeals are won or lost on what was preserved at trial.
Facing an appeal, or a trial you want protected for one? Contact Boland Aarab PLLP for a free consultation at (406) 315-3737.
How does a Bozeman case reach an appellate court?
The route depends on which court decided the case:
- Gallatin County district court. Civil cases in Gallatin County are heard in the Eighteenth Judicial District Court (§ 3-5-101, MCA), which now sits in the new Gallatin County Law and Justice Center at 515 South 16th Avenue. The district has four judges, each assigned a department, and the Clerk of District Court is in Room 1041 (Montana Courts). Appeals from a final judgment go directly to the Montana Supreme Court in Helena. Montana has no intermediate court of appeals.
- Federal court. Cases from Gallatin County that are filed in, or removed to, federal court are heard in the Butte Division of the U.S. District Court for the District of Montana, at the Mike Mansfield Federal Building and U.S. Courthouse (D. Mont. L.R. 1.2). Appeals go to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, where argued cases are heard in cities such as Seattle and Portland.
- Lower courts. Judgments from Bozeman Municipal Court, Gallatin County Justice Court and the valley’s city courts are generally appealed first to the district court, not the Supreme Court.
The county’s growth led it to build the new justice center, which opened in 2025 with a courtroom for each of its four district judges. A busy trial court makes it more important, not less, that the record be made carefully at every step: motions in limine, offers of proof, objections to jury instructions and post-trial motions.
What happens after a verdict or judgment in Bozeman?
Post-trial motions come first. A motion for judgment as a matter of law, to amend findings, for a new trial under Rule 59 or for relief under Rule 60(b) is filed in the Eighteenth Judicial District Court. A timely motion restarts the appeal clock, which then runs from the order deciding it, or from when the motion is deemed denied at the end of 60 days (M. R. App. P. 4(5)(a)(v)).
Then the notice of appeal. In most civil cases the deadline is 30 days from entry of judgment; 60 days when the State, a county such as Gallatin County, a city such as Bozeman, or the United States is a party (M. R. App. P. 4(5)(a)). Any other party may cross-appeal within 15 days, or within the original time, whichever is later.
Federal appeals to the Ninth Circuit generally must be filed within 30 days, or 60 when the United States is a party (Fed. R. App. P. 4(a)(1)). A party that wants review of the sufficiency of the evidence must renew its motion under Federal Rule 50(b) after the verdict (Unitherm Food Systems, Inc. v. Swift-Eckrich, Inc., 546 U.S. 394 (2006)).
Trial counsel and appellate counsel. If another firm tried your case in Bozeman, we can work with them on post-trial motions and the appeal, or take over the appeal entirely.
Montana law that applies
Our Montana appeals lawyer page covers appellate practice in depth:
Why hire a Great Falls firm for a Bozeman case?
An appeal is decided on the written record, the briefs and oral argument in Helena or before the Ninth Circuit, not in a Bozeman office. We are based in Great Falls and handle appeals from courts across Montana. For trial-level work in Bozeman, including post-trial motions and hearings in the Eighteenth Judicial District Court, our attorneys travel to the Law and Justice Center. We have no Bozeman office. Our appellate work is done by the same attorneys who try cases, so we know what a trial record needs to look like.
The Boland Aarab Way
- We protect verdicts. When a Phillips County jury’s $168,500 verdict for a rear-end crash victim was thrown out, we took it to the Montana Supreme Court and had it reinstated (Voegel v. Salsbery, 2023 MT 137).
- A long appellate record. Ours reaches back to 1977 (appellate results).
- Ninth Circuit experience. Samir Aarab has argued twice before the Ninth Circuit, and our attorneys have handled more than 40 federal cases in Montana over nine years.
- Trial experience that shapes the appeal. More than 4,000 hours in the courtroom.
We also handle insurance bad faith cases in Bozeman and medical malpractice cases in Bozeman. See our Bozeman personal injury page.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where do appeals from the Gallatin County district court go? Directly to the Montana Supreme Court in Helena. Montana has no intermediate appellate court.
How long do I have to appeal a judgment from the Eighteenth Judicial District? Generally 30 days from entry of judgment, or 60 days if a government entity is a party. A timely post-trial motion restarts the clock.
My Bozeman case was removed to federal court. Where does the appeal go? From the Butte Division to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, generally within 30 days of judgment.
Can you take over an appeal if another firm tried the case? Yes. We can work with your trial lawyer on post-trial motions or handle the appeal independently. Contact us as soon as possible after the verdict.
Can I appeal a Bozeman Municipal Court or Justice Court decision to the Supreme Court? Generally not directly. Those decisions are usually appealed first to the district court.
Contact Boland Aarab PLLP for a free consultation at (406) 315-3737.
Disclaimer: This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. Reading it does not create an attorney-client relationship.
