Carolyn S. Ostby at a glance
- Current role
- Former U.S. Magistrate Judge
- Jurisdiction
- Montana · Federal
- Judicial service
- Former
Carolyn S. Ostby
Former U.S. Magistrate Judge · U.S. District Court for the District of Montana
Service record and verification
Judicial service and assignments
- U.S. District Court for the District of Montana · U.S. Magistrate Judge · Not Current In Effective Roster · February 25, 2002–Not Current In Effective Roster · Assignment source ↗
Appointment and verification
- Source authority
- CourtListener / Free Law Project
Biography
Professional career
- U.S. magistrate judge, District of Montana, 2002-2016-12-31
- U.S. Magistrate Judge for the U.S. District Court for the District of Montana, serving from 2002 until her retirement on November 30, 2016
- 1979–1981: Attorney Advisor, U.S. Department of Justice
Education
- Undergraduate degree from Macalester College in 1972 and law degree from the University of Montana in 1977.
Additional information
- Post‐retirement: Became a recalled federal magistrate judge on December 1, 2016
- Federal magistrate judge in Montana from 2002 until retirement on December 31, 2016.
- Tenure: Nearly 15 years, making her Montana’s longest‐serving full‐time magistrate judge and the state’s first female federal judge
- In her final days on the bench, Ostby reflected on her career as “a sense of loss but a sense of beginning” and expressed gratitude for her colleagues’ dedication and integrity.
- Carolyn S. Ostby’s career spanned legal clerkship, federal service, private practice, and nearly a decade as a federal magistrate judge, leaving a legacy as Montana’s first female federal judge and its longest‐serving full‐time magistrate
- Served on the U.S. Judicial Conference Committee on International Judicial Relations, appointed by Chief Justice John Roberts, promoting the rule of law globally
Sources
Identity source checked June 30, 2026.
Biography sources checked August 2, 2026.
U.S. District Court for the District of Montana current judicial profile
Identity source · HTML · CourtListener / Free Law Project · effective February 25, 2002 · Source checked August 2, 2026
View U.S. District Court for the District of Montana current judicial profile ↗