HELENA - On Friday, Governor Steve Bullock appointed Polson attorney James Manley to serve as district court judge in Montana’s twentieth judicial district.

The selection will give a boost to the Lake County justice system, which has been operating shorthanded since the September retirement of former judge C.B. McNeil. To some, the backlogged cases may seem daunting, but Manley eagerly welcomes the challenge.

“I’m anxious and excited to get over there and get to work. I’m supposed to be concerned about the huge caseload that I’m inheriting, but I’m excited to jump into it,” Manley said following his appointment.

Manley edged out a wide field of contenders for the opening, which had been narrowed to three finalists who were recently interviewed in Helena by Gov. Bullock and two state attorneys. Ultimately, the governor’s panel determined that Manley was the individual best-suited to fill the void.

Manley is ambitiously targeting a Nov. 1 start date, though that may be complicated by the logistics of wrapping up the private law practice that he has run for nearly 35 years.

Manley, who had formerly served as deputy county attorney in 1979, says that he “never really aspired to be a judge” and was contemplating retirement in the next few years before friends and colleagues persuaded him to apply for the vacant judgeship.

“I started getting calls from judges and lawyers I respected who encouraged me to put in for it,” Manley said.

“The more I considered it, the more I thought it was time in my life to step up and give back to the judicial system that has given so much to me and my family.”