Daines Urges Colleagues to Support William Mercer as Federal Judge for the District of Montana

• October 22, 2025

U.S. SENATE - U.S. Senator Steve Daines today spoke on the Senate floor ahead of the vote to confirm William Mercer as U.S. Judge for the District of Montana.

Watch his remarks here.

Read Daines' remarks as prepared for delivery below.

Thank you Mdm/Mr. President.

I rise today 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. President Trump made an excellent choice when he picked Bill, and I was thrilled to see him quickly approved by the Senate Judiciary Committee. Now, today, the U.S. Senate will vote on his final confirmation, and I urge my colleagues to join Senator Sheehy and I in supporting his nomination.

Bill is a lifelong Montanan, born in Billings. We've known each other for a long time. We went to rival high schools and competed against each other in speech and debate. This is what makes America great. Two kids from Montana dreamed big and worked hard, and now we have the opportunity to serve the state we love.

Bill received his undergraduate degree from my rival college, the University of Montana. He later went on to receive a Master of Public Administration from the Harvard Kennedy School and his law degree from George Mason University.

Bill served his state and 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 represented Billings in the Montana House of Representatives for the past seven years. Bill also worked at the U.S. Department of Justice, where he 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 as lead counsel in numerous cases.

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 also understands Montana-specific laws and issues. His experience as a widely-respected and effective member of the Montana House of Representatives has helped him understand the needs of our state, our families and our communities. I believe his time in Helena has given him an important perspective on the law and the importance of judicial impartiality.

Federal judges play a critical role in our government, and it's important that we pick servant leaders who are committed to our founding ideals and to protecting the role of the judiciary. These are lifetime appointments, and they will have a lasting impact on both Montana and the nation.

I have no hesitation when I say that Bill is the top choice to serve as Montana's next federal judge. I've seen his commitment to our state firsthand, and his time at the Department of Justice, as U.S. Attorney, and as a state legislator have prepared him well. I can't think of a better pick to represent the great state of Montana.

I urge my colleagues to join me in voting favorably for Bill's confirmation, and I look forward to seeing the profound influence that Bill will have on Montana and the nation as he steps into this new role.

Thank you.

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Contact: Matt Lloyd, Gabby Wiggins