U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the District of Montana
3 judges profiled from their own signed orders: how each rules on motions, with the orders quoted. Court-wide standing orders ↓
John L. PetersonRetired
Bankruptcy judge
Ralph B. KirscherRetired
Bankruptcy judge
Benjamin P. Hursh
Bankruptcy judge, appointed by Merit selection
Standing orders for every case in this court
Orders the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the District of Montana applies to all of its cases, whichever judge has them, as published on the court's website (checked October 11, 2026). Courts revise these, so confirm the current version before you file. The court's local rules ↗
- Standing Order 2026-1-BPH: Relocation of Hearings for Butte Division Cases During Courthouse Construction ↗
- General Order 2018-1-BPH: Electronic Equipment at Section 341 Meetings ↗
- General Order 2003-06-RBK: Privacy Policy for Public Access to Electronic Case Files ↗
Filing
Counsel and parties bear responsibility for redacting personal identifiers from filings; the clerk does not review each document for compliance.
“The responsibility for redacting these personal identifiers rests solely with counsel and the parties. The Clerk will not review each document for compliance with this rule.”
Conferences
Hearings and trials in Butte Division cases are relocated to other divisions during courthouse construction; the location depends on the debtor’s primary-address county when the petition was filed.
“cases filed in the Butte division shall have their hearings relocated to other divisions absent further notice. Hearing locations shall be based on the county in which the Debtor’s primary address is located as of the date of the filing of the petition.”
Conferences
People attending a scheduled Section 341 meeting inside a Montana federal courthouse may bring laptops, cell phones, recording equipment, or other electronic devices.
“shall be permitted to bring laptops, cell phones, recording equipment or other electronic devices into any Federal Courthouse in connection with their attendance or participation at any scheduled 341 Meeting set occur within that Federal Courthouse.”