U.S. SENATE – U.S. Senator Steve Daines today spoke in support of William Mercer at his nomination hearing in the Senate Judiciary Committee. Mercer has been nominated by President Trump to serve as United States District Judge for the District of Montana.
Watch Daines’ remarks HERE.
Read Daines’ remarks as prepared for delivery below.
Thank you, Chairman Grassley and Ranking Member Durbin,
It is great to be here today with you all to speak in support of my friend, Mr. William Mercer and his nomination to serve as the next Judge of the U.S. District Court for the District of Montana.
Bill is a lifelong Montanan. Born in Billings, the “Magic City,” we were high school rivals and debated each other in speech and debate.
Bill went on to receive a Master’s of Public Administration from the Harvard Kennedy School and his law degree from George Mason. He also attended my rival college, the University of Montana for his undergraduate degree.
Bill has served Montana and his country in various roles over the past three decades. In Montana, he served as U.S. Attorney for the District of Montana from 2001 to 2009 and has represented Billings in the Montana House of Representatives for the past seven years. At the U.S. Department of Justice, Bill served as Principal Associate Deputy Attorney General and Acting Associate Attorney General during the George W. Bush administration. He has also been actively engaged in his community, serving on five non-profit boards of directors in Montana.
Bill has been a member of the Montana Bar for 32 years. He has appeared in state and federal court in Montana in numerous civil and criminal cases as lead counsel. He has also represented clients in appellate courts, which resulted in oral argument in 15 cases in the Courts of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, D.C. Circuit, and the Montana Supreme Court. Bill has been recognized by his peers in the legal community for his outstanding track record, being rated among the best lawyers in Montana for environmental and commercial litigation.
Throughout his extensive legal career and years of public service, Bill has represented Montana’s interests well. He is committed to the rule of law and original interpretation of the Constitution.
Bill understands Montana-specific laws and issues. His experience as a widely-respected and effective member of the Montana House of Representatives brings him in tune with the needs of our state, our families and our communities. I believe his time in Helena has given him an important additional perspective on the law and the importance of judicial impartiality.
Senator Sheehy and I are confident Bill is the top choice to once again serve Montana, this time as our Federal Judge. His time at the Department of Justice, as U.S. Attorney, and as a state legislator have prepared him well, and I can’t think of a better pick to represent us once again in this new role.
I look forward to working diligently with my colleagues to confirm his nomination.
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Contact: Matt Lloyd, Gabby Wiggins