Murnion's Memories

I got a chance to sit down with a very busy man last week. Mr. Nick Murnion has definitely been around the block when it comes to law in Eastern Montana. He was running for county attorney before he even graduated from law school. On the topic of law school, Nick’s roommate from the University of Montana will be swearing him into his new position as the Judge of the 16th Judicial Circuit in Montana. That’s Sidney Thomas, Chief Circuit Judge of the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals. “In college, neither of us would have ever thought we would be judges” Murnion said with a laugh. He compared the first year of law school to basic training, where they weed out the weak.

After college, Murnion took a shot at running in the 1978 election for Garfield County attorney. He beat out the incumbent and had his first attorney job. He spent the next 30 years serving Garfield County as their attorney, as well as in private practice.

One of his most memorable cases he recalled was when the Jordan Drug Store had been broken into, five times. The crooks had been spotted at the hospital, so the deputy was staking out the drug store. Murnion said he was chatting at the fireman’s meeting when a car screeched by. This guy, driving the car, eventually was caught. The other guy, not so lucky. When told to “freeze” he decided to run and got peppered by a double barrel shotgun.

Most people would remember his run-in with the Freemen, who he describes as a group of people with a “potpourri of radical ideas and values from different organizations.” In early 1994 Nick, the Garfield County Sheriff, and six others had $1 million bounties on their head from the Freemen.

He recalled calling them up to collect on the bounty; when they told him and the sheriff, they “wouldn’t live to enjoy the money, you will be tried and hung.” The sheriff responded “What are you going to build a gallows in the middle of town?” To which they said, “We don’t want to waste taxpayers’ dollars, we will just throw the noose off the bridge.” Even then, the attorney stood strong.

Calling on the people of the county for assistance, they had 90 people show up and sign up to help at the town hall. These citizens attended sheriff sales and court hearings to keep the Freemen away. However, Murnion doesn’t want to remembered as the “Freemen attorney.” Throughout his career, protecting the youth of the area, through having good parenting plans after divorces and handling child abuse cases to his best ability, has been his priority.

After his eventful career in Garfield County, a full time job for Valley County attorney opened. He was drawn to the area because the job was more specialized and he and his family were looking for something new. Since 2009 he has been working hard for Valley County. He talked about his work to try and stop crime before it starts, saying that drugs facilitate crimes like burglary, assault and murder that you don’t see as much here. “Drugs weren’t as large an issue in Garfield County, so it was something new to learn.” Nick also said he was especially excited to get the drug court in Glasgow started, because rehabilitation is the best way to prevent further crime.

Now, he moves on to his new job in Forsyth, where he will again serve Garfield County, as well as others surrounding it. I asked if he was worried about being the “new guy” as this is his first judge position. “You don’t really get taught how to be a judge, you need to learn from years of experience in the courtroom. The first year should be a bit rocky, but I hope to settle in after that.” He pointed out a thick green binder on his desk, which he had received earlier that week about his new job. It seems he will have some reading to do.

Nick wants to thank Valley County for being so welcoming and helpful. He pointed out that he has small “families” everywhere in the community, whether it be at the courthouse, church, golf course, or even to go get some coffee. Murnion also noted that we have great law enforcement, and that departments like that don’t run smoothly overnight. “Glasgow gets things done, and I’m proud to be able to call this area my second home.”