Judge for all cities
Collins runs court in three county towns
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May 13, 2021
John Dowd
JUDGE TOM COLLINS, standing in his office in Plains, also serves as the judge for the towns of Hot Springs and Thompson Falls.
In April, Tom Collins of Plains became the city judge for every city with a court in Sanders County. He started with Plains in 2018. Then, he became the city judge for Hot Springs in January 2021. When the Thompson Falls job came open after Judge Don Strine's retirement this year, Collins was hired for that vacancy.
Collins moved to Plains from northeastern Wyoming. He earned an MBA at the University of Missoula and a doctorate of ministry from Bethel Seminary in St. Paul, Minnesota. He then became the program director at Camp Bighorn in 1986. At first, it was just him, his wife and his two kids who ran the camp. Collins said they started with a $5,000 budget. After several years, that progressed to a budget that valued over $1 million and a full-time year-round staff of 22 people. "What Camp Bighorn was really about was growing young people in leadership," said Collins, who added that he loved the program.
Collins is also and avid rock climber, starting in 1982. He even brought climbing to Camp Bighorn, along with mountain biking, kayaking, canoeing, winter sports and much more. Collins left Camp Bighorn in 2014, after spending 20 years as the camp director and eight years as the CEO overseeing both Camp Bighorn and another equestrian program that no longer exists.
He eventually started work as the Plains city judge after several community members suggested to him that he take on the position. "I guess there was this trust that I had built over the years," Collins stated. The judge explained that he was always heavily involved in the community and with local churches. He was able to take on the position without any law degree or law enforcement experience because of the lay judge program for city and county level judges in Montana. The program allows prospective judges to become a judge and study to become certified over a grace period. "It was a steep learning curve," said Collins. Judges in this program are required to recertify every four years and Collins said he "studied like crazy" to pass that first time.
As a city judge, Collins said he mostly rules on traffic violations, city ordinances, driving under the influence cases (DUI's) and domestic violence cases like partner or family member assaults (PFMAs). He only handles misdemeanors and minor civil matters. He also participates with the county Crisis Intervention Stress Management (CISM) program. This helps counsel first responders to manage the grief and especially the trauma they encounter on the job. Collins explains this is to "keep them on the job."
Collins is also a practiced wood carver. He is currently working on three statues for St. Mary's Church in Boulder, Montana. His favorite carving style is the mallet and gouge. As for the judgeship, Collins said he likes it. "It's challenging, but it gives me the opportunity to speak into people's lives in order to change behavior for the better."
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