Senate Confirms Meredith, Mercer; Montana Faces Crisis

The U.S. Senate confirmed Chad Meredith to the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Kentucky; his nomination was first discussed during the Biden administration but was advanced under President Trump after Sen. Mitch McConnell recommended him amid controversy over Meredith’s prior defenses of abortion restrictions and his past service under Gov. Matt Bevin and Attorney General Daniel Cameron. Meredith’s confirmation is the 13th judicial approval in Trump’s second term and adds to the 234 federal judges Trump appointed during his first term. In Montana, state Rep. and former U.S. Attorney Bill Mercer was confirmed to the U.S. District Court in a largely party-line vote, filling the seat of Judge Dana L. Christensen as she moves to senior status after Sen. Steve Daines blocked a prior Biden nominee for the vacancy. Gov. Greg Gianforte also appointed two new Billings district judges, Cunningham and Zink. The state is simultaneously dealing with a catastrophic water failure at the Montana State Prison that required emergency sanitation and shower units, underscoring concurrent judicial reshuffling amid pressing infrastructure strains.