ARLEE — A local face could wind up serving on the state’s highest court.

Joey Jayne, an Arlee resident for 17 years, is one of 11 applicants vying for a vacancy on the Montana Supreme Court that will open with the resignation of Justice John Warner, effective on Dec. 31.

Jayne’s past experiences are varied and vast, beginning with an educational career that includes a master’s degree from the University of Arizona and a law degree from the University of Montana. She has served as an attorney for the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes, and has owned her own law firm in Arlee since 2000. She still practices law part-time out of her Arlee firm, but commutes to Pablo daily to work as a student nurse recruiter at the Salish Kootenai College.

“It’s always great to be in an academic environment because people are always learning all the time, and I like being in that environment,” Jayne said. “I’m still very involved in the public by doing what I’m doing now. Either as an attorney or a recruiter I’m still very involved with the public.”

When speaking about her bid for the open court seat, Jayne cites her four two-year terms from 2001 to 2008 as a representative for this area in the Montana House of Representatives as a great experience. She was termed out, but served on the Appropriations Committee during her tenure and felt she learned a lot about the legislative process. Her judicial experiences are varied as well, as she has practiced law on the Flathead Indian Reservation for the last 17 years.

“It’s a place where someone can practice in Tribal Court and State District Court when you live in Lake County,” Jayne said. “That’s a unique opportunity for someone to practice in both of those court systems. That’s available here. A person that practices in both of those court systems is going to get a wealth of information.”

The public comment portion of the nomination process ended 10 days ago, and now the applications will be reviewed by a Judicial Nomination Commission composed of seven members who have been appointed by either the governor or state supreme court; one member was elected by the district court judges.

On Nov. 18, the commission will review all the 11 applications, and whittle the field down to 3 to 5 candidates that will be selected to interview with the commission. The commission will then submit names to the governor, who will appoint a candidate in the beginning of December, in time to replace Warner in January 2010. The new Justice will serve until November 2010, when they will need to run for election in order to serve the remainder of Warner’s term, which will end on Dec. 31, 2014, according to a press release from the Montana Supreme Court.

Jayne filled out a comprehensive application and submitted an appeal she had filed with the Montana Supreme Court back in 2003 as a writing sample for the Commission to review. Her law background is extensive as well, appearing in court 8 to 10 times a month in the last five years. Jayne has been a member of the Navajo Nation Bar Association, Federal Bar Association and the State Bar of Montana for 17, 16 and 13 years, respectively.

“I’ve always been on this side of the appeals court,” Jayne said, referring to the fact that the Supreme Court only reviews appealed decisions, not cases that “begin from scratch.”

For her, it would be a new, and welcome experience to review decisions rather than prosecute or defend a client. “What inspired me is that I wanted to be the justice that would review the legal issues that would come before the Montana District Courts,” Jayne said, “which is a very distinct different role than being the attorney that takes a case all the way to a judgment.”

For more information, visit www.montanacourts.org.