Missoula County Commissioners have chosen Landee Holloway to succeed retiring Justice of the Peace Karen Orzech.

Commissioner Jean Curtiss said the process of choosing the interim Justice of the Peace was an interesting one.

"All the people interviewed brought different perspectives and different experiences as nit was a diverse group of people," Curtiss said. "That's why justice court is called 'the people's court' because you don't have to be an attorney. It's more about figuring out how to help people get their lives back together, or if you can't, how do you give them a nudge in the right direction."

Curtiss said the selection of Holloway by the commissioners was quick and unanimous.

"She has a great understanding of the system," she said. "She has worked a lot on the barriers to re-entry, in that when you get in trouble with the law, you go to jail and then you have a lot more trouble finding a place to rent or getting a job. She's also real familiar with our jail diversion work, she believes in peer support. One statement that she made was that 'good people make mistakes', and I like that approach."

Curtiss said Holloway will be sworn in on July 9, immediately after Judge Orzech steps down, and will be able to run for the full term in this November's election, should she choose to run.

More From KMPT-AM