BILLINGS, Mont. (AP) – A Republican Montana lawmaker blocked a Biden administration judicial nominee who would have been the state’s first Native American federal district court judge, officials said Wednesday.
Attorney Danna Jackson of the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes was appointed last month by President Joe Biden. The post requires Senate confirmation.
Sen. Steve Daines blocked Jackson’s consideration because the administration never sought his consent before his nomination, said Rachel Dumke, a spokeswoman for the lawmaker.
“Senator Daines believes that confirming federal judges for life tenure is among the most important decisions he will make and that these individuals should be trusted not to legislate from the bench,” Dumke said in an emailed statement.
A White House spokesman refuted Dumke’s claim and said that members of Daines’ staff interviewed Jackson last year, but that the senator declined to meet with her.
“This alleged lack of consultation appears to be little more than a pretext, and it is shameful that Senator Daines is depriving Montana of the talents of a principled, fair and impartial jurist like Danna Jackson,” said Deputy Press Secretary Andrew Bates.
Daines’ opposition was previously reported by Bloomberg Law.
The overwhelming majority of federal judges are white men, according to the American Bar Association.
Of the more than 1,400 federal judges at the end of last year, only four were Native Americans and two others identified as partially native, according to the association. That represents less than 1% of federal judges, while Native Americans make up nearly 3% of the U.S. population.
Jackson did not immediately respond to a voicemail seeking comment left with the Salish and Kootenai legal department.
Previously, she served as an attorney at the U.S. Department of the Interior and as chief legal counsel for the Montana Department of Natural Resources and Conservation.
His nomination was supported by Montana’s senior U.S. senator, Democrat Jon Tester, and representatives from the National Congress of American Indians and the Native American Rights Fund. Tester said Jackson was well qualified.
The Senate confirmed last week the 200th federal judge of Biden’s term, about a month before former President Donald Trump hit that mark in his mandate.
