Surrounded by family, friends and colleagues from the legal community, Amanda Montague pledged to uphold the Constitution and serve the public with fairness and integrity as she was sworn into the Utah Third District Court judiciary.

The Kearns resident previously served as a division director in the Utah Attorney General’s Office and spent nearly 10 years clerking for Third District Court judges. Her experience working with the Utah Board of Pardons and Parole, the Department of Corrections, the Interstate Compact Office and the Sex, Kidnap, and Child Abuse Offender Registry provides her with a comprehensive criminal justice understanding that she will apply to the cases that come before her on the bench.

Judge Amanda Montague will serve in the Utah Third District Court, overseeing cases in Salt Lake, Summit and Tooele Counties. (Peri Kinder/City Journals)

Montague was appointed to the position by Gov. Spencer Cox in August 2025 and confirmed by the Utah Senate. 

“Amanda has spent the last 20 years making sure our justice system works for real people, whether she’s helping the Board of Pardons weigh tough calls or guiding dozens of state agencies through the law,” Cox said in a media statement. “I’m grateful for her steady hand and clear-eyed compassion, and I’m confident she’ll serve the Third District with both.”

Montague earned her juris doctorate from BYU’s J. Reuben Clark Law School, where she served as managing editor of the BYU Journal of Public Law. As a member of the Utah Third Judicial District, Montague will oversee cases in Salt Lake, Summit and Tooele Counties.

In November, she was sworn into the judiciary by Utah Supreme Court Justice Paige Peterson, who first met Montague when she came before the district court in Park City to argue a motion. 

“I knew, watching her, that she was a standout and I thought, this person is excellent. She has what it takes. She has a bright future. She can do anything,” Peterson said. “So I am not surprised at all to see Amanda joining the District Court bench.”

Peterson encouraged Montague to be steady and consistent, especially during a time that feels chaotic and advised her to take her oath seriously, without fear of retribution, even as threats are being leveled at judges across the country. 

“When people come to the courthouse to have their case heard, it doesn’t matter if they’re powerful, doesn’t matter if they’re rich, doesn’t matter if they’re poor,” Peterson said. “We take an oath to treat everyone fairly, which means listening to their arguments, understanding their arguments and making a decision based solely on the law. I have every confidence that you will do that and you will fulfill the high standards that all of us, as judges, set for ourselves.”

Montague’s children, Porter and Louisa, assisted her with the robing ceremony, and she sent a shout-out to her son, Dallin, who is serving a mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. 

She thanked her family and colleagues for supporting her as she applied to the judiciary several times before finally being accepted. Montague also expressed gratitude for the women who mentored her and the people who believed in her ability.

“So many of you have watched me go through this journey and struggle, and have been nothing but hopeful and helpful to me, and I am so very appreciative of that,” Montague said. “I am lucky and blessed that I was selected for this…I do take very seriously every decision that I have to make and I am still learning every day. I am so very grateful for how kind and welcoming the judiciary has been to me.”

Her husband, Joe Montague, said one thing he has admired most is watching his wife work incredibly hard during her career to reach her goals. He saw her set an example to their children by staying focused, being dedicated and retaining a good heart, even when her job sometimes showed her the worst of humanity.

“As Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg said, real change, enduring change, happens one step at a time,” said Joe Montague. “Amanda has lived that truth by applying learning, serving and growing one step at a time, until she reached this moment today, and it will continue.”