Republican state Rep. Bill Mercer is Trump’s pick for a U.S. District Court judgeship.
Mercer is a partner at the Billings firm Holland & Hart. He previously worked for the federal government during the Bush administration, including an appointment as Montana’s U.S. attorney. Mercer is in the middle of his fourth term as a state representative.
His nomination to the bench requires congressional confirmation. Montana’s two senators, Steve Daines and Tim Sheehy, say they’ll work to make sure that happens.
Montana U.S. District Judge Susan Watters recently announced her plans to retire next year, although she’ll still be able to take some cases. The Billings judge was an Obama appointee, as are Montana’s two other federal judges presiding in Great Falls and Missoula.