Senator Steve Daines blocked the nomination of Danna Jackson to be the next federal district court judge, officials said Wednesday.
Attorney Danna Jackson with the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes had been nominated last month by President Joe Biden. The post requires Senate confirmation. Jackson is the wife of longtime Montana Democrat political operative Sanjay Talwani.
In between working for Democrat politicians Talwani also worked as a reporter for Lee Enterprises and Montana Television Network.
Daines’ spokesperson asserts that the senator’s refusal to consider Jackson stems from a lack of prior consultation by the Biden administration. However, the White House rebuts this claim, stating that Daines’ team had the opportunity to interview Jackson last year but declined to do so.
“Senator Daines believes confirming federal judges with lifetime tenure is among the most important decisions he will make and that these individuals must be trusted to not legislate from the bench,” Dumke said in an emailed statement.
Montana’s senior U.S. senator, Democrat Jon Tester, along with representatives from the National Congress of American Indians and the Native American Rights Fund, endorsed Danna Jackson’s nomination. Tester affirmed Jackson’s strong qualifications for the position.
Jackson has a long history of political contributions to Democratic candidates and causes. Public records show that Jackson has contributed thousands of dollars to more than a dozen Democratic candidates. Jackson did contribute $100 to Republican Jon Bennion in his failed 2020 primary campaign for Attorney General.
Jackson did not respond comment request from various media outlets.
By: Montana Newsroom staff
