Justice of the Peace Gregory Mohr has been involved with numerous committees, and has traveled all over the United States and Canada representing Eastern Montana during his career.
The honorable Gregory Mohr is bringing his career of 30 years as a Justice of the Peace to a close, with December 31st being his last official day. Mohr is in the middle of his eighth term, and the County Commissioners will appoint a replacement to finish out the next two years of the term before elections are held in 2018.
Originally from Iowa, Mohr came to Sidney in 1977; his wife is from the area, having family that farmed in Richland and Wibaux Counties. Mohr was elected as Justice of the Peace in 1986 after being encouraged by the community to run.
After being elected, Mohr and Justice of the Peace Carol Anderson, who was the city judge in Red Lodge at the time, formed the Training and Education Committee, which goes out to newly elected or appointed judges and is one of the best training programs for new judges in the state. There are also statutorily mandated twice-yearly education sessions that prepare judges for the necessary testing they must pass every four years of the Justice Court Election cycle. Through the committee, Mohr also spends every Monday alerting judges across the state of Montana to supreme court changes in law, what he refers to as 'reading the blue sheets'. He currently serves as a co-chair of the Training and Education Committee, as well as being Chair of the Curriculum Committee, and has been involved with multiple other judicial committees throughout his career.
In the 1990s, Mohr was instrumental in the Montana Justice Institute receiving a grant that enabled law school professors to provide further education to judges. He has also been all over the United States as well as several provinces in Canada representing Eastern Montana.
"There have been challenges all along the line, first in getting respect back to the position. The Freeman case in the nineties was challenging as well as the numbers that the boom brought in, along with the diversity in cases," Mohr commented. "The greatest thing you can get out of it is knowing that you're helping people."
Mohr added that he wants to go out on top of his game, and after making it through the recent oil boom, he is satisfied with the policies and procedures that have been implemented so that the greatest challenge his successor will face is the caseload.
"The nature of the job is dealing with people that are having problems, and there are a lot of legal factors to consider with that. Some people are just your average person who make a mistake and won't ever do it again. Others may never make that specific mistake again, but will remain criminals, and then there are some that you can gradually educate out of that behavior. Some of those people have asked me to perform their wedding ceremonies, and I always tell them that it's the longest sentence I will ever give them," he laughed.
Mohr added that he will miss the people he works with, but that it is simply time for a new direction, and he will always be busy doing something,
"I also would like to thank everyone for their support during my tenure; it is truly the highlight of my judicial career," Mohr said. In conclusion, he hinted at possible future plans saying, "I'd like to fight for Eastern Montana, so if in four years I run for governor, I'd appreciate your vote."
Reader Comments(0)