Michael McGrath currently serves as the Chief Justice of the Montana Supreme Court

Montana Supreme Court

The Montana Supreme Court is the highest court of the Montana state court system in the U.S. state of Montana. It is established and its powers defined by Article VII of the 1972 Montana Constitution...

. He was elected in 2008. He also served as Montana's Attorney General from 2000-2008. He was elected in November 2000, and was unopposed for his second term in 2004. He was a member of the Montana Democratic Party

Montana Democratic Party

The Montana Democratic Party is the Montana party affiliate of the Democratic Party. The Montana Democratic Party is also one of the two major political parties in the U.S. state of Montana. The party is led by Chairman Jim Elliot and Vice Chair Nancy Anderson...

. He is a veteran of the United States Air Force

United States Air Force

The United States Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the American uniformed services. Initially part of the United States Army, the USAF was formed as a separate branch of the military on September 18, 1947 under the National Security Act of...

.

A native of Butte, Montana

Butte, Montana

Butte is a city in Montana and the county seat of Silver Bow County, United States. In 1977, the city and county governments consolidated to form the sole entity of Butte-Silver Bow. As of the 2010 census, Butte's population was 34,200...

, McGrath graduated from the University of Montana with a BA

Bachelor of Arts

A Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...

 in business administration in 1970 and received his JD

Juris Doctor

Juris Doctor is a professional doctorate and first professional graduate degree in law.The degree was first awarded by Harvard University in the United States in the late 19th century and was created as a modern version of the old European doctor of law degree Juris Doctor (see etymology and...

 from Gonzaga University

Gonzaga University

Gonzaga University is a private Roman Catholic university located in Spokane, Washington, United States. Founded in 1887 by the Society of Jesus, it is one of 28 member institutions of the Association of Jesuit Colleges and Universities and is named after the young Jesuit saint, Aloysius Gonzaga...

 Law School in 1975. He was a Reginald Heber Smith Community Lawyer Fellow in Reno, Nevada

Reno, Nevada

Reno is the county seat of Washoe County, Nevada, United States. The city has a population of about 220,500 and is the most populous Nevada city outside of the Las Vegas metropolitan area...

 from 1975 to 1976, and Montana's Assistant Attorney General from 1976 to 1982. He served as County Attorney

Prosecutor

The prosecutor is the chief legal representative of the prosecution in countries with either the common law adversarial system, or the civil law inquisitorial system...

 for Lewis and Clark County

Lewis and Clark County, Montana

-National protected areas:* Flathead National Forest * Helena National Forest * Lewis and Clark National Forest * Lolo National Forest * Rocky Mountain Front Conservation Area -Demographics:...

 from 1982 to 2000.

McGrath served five terms as Lewis and Clark County Attorney. In his 18 years as a prosecutor, McGrath focused on family violence issues, including domestic abuse and sexual assault of children.

He is a former chair of the Conference of Western Attorneys General (CWAG) and served as president of the Montana County Attorneys' Association.

He and his wife Joy have two sons, Pat and Chris, and one granddaughter, Alexis.