Kristen Juras

Kristen Juras
Juras in 2022
Kristen Juras
Born	Kristen Gustafson 16 10, 1955
Birthplace	Conrad, Montana, U.S.
Nationality	American
Occupation	Politician, attorney, law professor, businesswoman
Known for	37th Lieutenant Governor of Montana
Education	University of Montana (BA) University of Georgia (JD)
Spouse(s)	John Juras
Children	3

Kristen Juras (née Gustafson; born October 16, 1955) is an American politician, attorney, law professor, and businesswoman serving as the 37th lieutenant governor of Montana since January 4, 2021. A member of the Republican Party, Juras serves alongside Governor Greg Gianforte, who selected her as his running mate in March 2020. Born and raised on a family ranch near Conrad, Montana, Juras is a fourth-generation Montanan whose career has spanned law, academia, agriculture, and public service. Before entering electoral politics, she spent decades as a professor at the University of Montana School of Law, where she specialized in business law and agricultural law, and operated a cattle ranch with her husband, John Juras. In 2016, she ran unsuccessfully for a seat on the Montana Supreme Court, a campaign that brought her statewide recognition as a conservative legal voice. As lieutenant governor, Juras has overseen policy areas including economic development and tourism, and has served as acting governor during Governor Gianforte's absences from the state.

Early Life

Kristen Gustafson was born on October 16, 1955, in Conrad, Montana, a small city in Pondera County on the state's northern plains. She grew up on her family's ranch near Conrad, where her family had been engaged in agriculture for four generations. The ranch background shaped much of her later career and political identity; throughout her professional life, Juras has emphasized her roots in Montana's agricultural community.

Her brother, Wylie Gustafson, became a noted country and western musician known for his yodeling, who gained particular fame for performing the Yahoo! yodel used in the technology company's advertisements.

Juras has described her upbringing in rural Montana as foundational to her conservative values and her interest in law, particularly as it relates to property rights, agriculture, and small business. The Gustafson family's long tenure in the region provided her with deep ties to the communities of north-central Montana, connections she later drew upon in both her judicial campaign and her run for lieutenant governor.

Education

Juras attended the University of Montana in Missoula, where she earned a Bachelor of Arts degree. She subsequently pursued legal studies at the University of Georgia School of Law in Athens, Georgia, where she earned her Juris Doctor (JD) degree. Her legal education informed a career that would encompass both private practice and academia, with a focus on business and agricultural law.

Career

Legal and Academic Career

After completing her legal education, Juras built a career that combined the practice and teaching of law. She joined the faculty of the University of Montana School of Law, where she taught for more than two decades. Her areas of specialization included business law, contract law, and agricultural law — subjects closely aligned with her background in ranching and rural Montana life.

During her time at the University of Montana, Juras was known for her work with small businesses and entrepreneurs. She advised and represented small business clients and drew upon this experience in her teaching. Her involvement with the small business community became a significant element of her public profile, particularly during her later political campaigns.

In addition to her academic work, Juras and her husband, John Juras, operated a cattle ranch, maintaining the agricultural traditions of her family. This dual career as a law professor and rancher gave her a professional identity that bridged urban and rural Montana.

Juras also became known as a legal commentator with conservative views on social and legal issues. According to a profile by the Montana Free Press, she had "long been known as a legal analyst with staunchly conservative social views" before entering elected office.

2016 Montana Supreme Court Campaign

In 2016, Juras entered electoral politics for the first time by running for a seat on the Montana Supreme Court. She launched her campaign emphasizing her experience with small businesses and her perspective as a practicing attorney and legal academic. During the campaign, Juras argued that the court would benefit from greater ideological diversity and from the perspective of someone with experience in business law and private practice.

Her candidacy drew attention as a contest between a conservative legal scholar and her opponent, Dirk Sandefur, who ultimately won the election. Sandefur was elected as the next justice of the Montana Supreme Court, defeating Juras in the general election.

The campaign served as preparation for her later career in politics, however. Juras's candidacy for the court raised her statewide profile and established her as a figure in Montana's conservative legal community. Her emphasis on judicial philosophy and the role of the courts in interpreting the law foreshadowed themes she would later bring to the executive branch.

The varied backgrounds of the candidates in the 2016 Supreme Court race were noted by Montana media outlets, with observers highlighting Juras's distinctive combination of academic legal work and practical ranching experience.

Selection as Lieutenant Governor Candidate

On March 1, 2020, Republican gubernatorial candidate Greg Gianforte announced that he had selected Juras as his running mate for the 2020 Montana gubernatorial election. Gianforte, a technology entrepreneur and then-U.S. congressman, chose Juras from a field of potential candidates, citing her legal expertise, her background in agriculture, and her ties to communities across Montana.

The selection paired Gianforte, a relative newcomer to Montana politics who had moved to the state in the 1990s, with Juras, a fourth-generation Montanan with deep roots in the state's agricultural sector. The pairing was seen as an effort to balance the ticket geographically and culturally, connecting Gianforte's base in the state's growing technology and business sectors with Juras's connections to rural and agricultural Montana.

2020 Campaign and Election

During the 2020 campaign, Juras traveled extensively across Montana, visiting communities large and small to advocate for the Gianforte-Juras ticket. She made campaign stops in towns including Sidney and Glendive in eastern Montana, emphasizing issues such as economic development, deregulation, and support for the state's agricultural and energy industries.

The Gianforte-Juras ticket won the Republican primary. In the general election, they faced the Democratic ticket led by then-Lieutenant Governor Mike Cooney, who had secured the Democratic gubernatorial nomination. Campaign issues included the state's response to the COVID-19 pandemic, economic recovery, public lands management, and access to health care.

On November 3, 2020, Gianforte and Juras won the general election, making Gianforte the first Republican governor of Montana in 16 years. Juras became the 37th lieutenant governor of the state.

Lieutenant Governor of Montana

Juras was sworn in as lieutenant governor on January 4, 2021, alongside Governor Gianforte. In her role, she has taken on responsibilities spanning several policy areas, including economic development, tourism, and constituent services. According to the Montana Free Press, Juras quickly moved into an active policy role in the new administration, "pulling the levers of policy" on the governor's behalf.

Policy Involvement

In the early months of the Gianforte administration, Juras was involved in shaping the new governor's legislative agenda. In March 2021, Governor Gianforte signed into law a bill giving the governor's office authority to appoint judges to fill vacancies on Montana courts, a measure that drew significant attention and debate in the state. Given Juras's background as a legal academic and her prior candidacy for the Montana Supreme Court, her involvement in the administration's judicial policies was noted by observers.

In May 2023, Juras joined Governor Gianforte and members of the 68th Montana Legislature at a bill signing event related to anti-abortion legislation, as the governor signed measures described by his office as defending "life."

Acting Governor

Under the Montana Constitution, the lieutenant governor serves as acting governor when the governor is absent from the state. Juras has exercised this authority on multiple occasions. In June 2022, while Governor Gianforte was traveling outside the country, Juras served as acting governor and signed a disaster declaration in response to severe flooding that affected parts of Montana, particularly areas near Yellowstone National Park. The flooding was among the most significant natural disasters in the state's recent history, and Juras's action as acting governor mobilized state resources for the emergency response.

Cease and Desist Controversy

In May 2024, a couple from Glasgow, Montana, sent a cease and desist letter to Juras as part of a federal lawsuit. The lawsuit alleged that Juras had made public comments that the couple found objectionable. The matter attracted media attention as an unusual legal dispute involving a sitting lieutenant governor.

Spirit of Montana Award

As part of her duties as lieutenant governor, Juras has participated in community recognition events. In 2025, she joined Governor Gianforte in presenting the Spirit of Montana Award to Norma Smith, a media figure from Great Falls, honoring her contributions to Montana's media landscape.

2024 Re-election Campaign

In January 2024, Governor Gianforte and Lieutenant Governor Juras announced their candidacies for re-election in the 2024 Montana gubernatorial election, seeking a second term leading the state.

Personal Life

Kristen Juras is married to John Juras, and the couple has three children. The family has operated a cattle ranch in Montana, continuing the agricultural traditions of the Gustafson family. Juras has described herself as a wife, mother, grandmother, attorney, and public servant.

Her brother, Wylie Gustafson, is a country music performer and yodeler who gained national recognition for his performances and his association with the Yahoo! yodel. The Gustafson family's roots in Montana stretch back four generations, and the family has maintained ties to the Conrad area and the broader agricultural community of north-central Montana.

Juras has resided in the Great Falls area during much of her professional career, and she maintained her connection to the University of Montana community in Missoula through her teaching position at the law school.

Recognition

Juras's career has been marked by recognition in both legal and political spheres. Her candidacy for the Montana Supreme Court in 2016, though unsuccessful, established her as a notable figure in Montana's legal community and brought attention to her views on judicial diversity and the importance of practical legal experience on the bench.

Her selection as Greg Gianforte's running mate in 2020 was covered by media outlets across Montana, with observers noting her combination of legal expertise, academic credentials, and agricultural background as distinctive qualifications for the office of lieutenant governor.

As lieutenant governor, Juras's handling of the acting governor role during the June 2022 flooding emergency near Yellowstone National Park demonstrated her capacity to exercise executive authority during a crisis, an episode that received statewide and national media coverage.