Tag: Supreme Court

Daines Stands Up for Law-Abiding Montana Gun Owners

Joins Republican Colleagues in Filing Brief with Supreme Court Opposing a Ban on Bump Stocks U.S. SENATE – U.S. Senator Steve Daines joined a group of his Republican colleagues and multiple legal experts in filing an amici curiae brief in the U.S. Supreme Court case Garland v. Cargill. The brief asserts the Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco and Firearms (ATF) ban on bump stocks under the National Firearms Act is not only an egregious violation of Montanans’ right to bear arms but also represents a dangerous new frontier of federal bureaucrats interpreting federal law in expansive new ways Congress clearly did not intend, including by

Daines Lauds Supreme Court Ruling Protecting Free Speech

6-3 Ruling Protects Right Not to Speak U.S. SENATE – U.S. Senator Steve Daines today issued the following statement today lauding the 6-3 ruling by the Supreme Court in 303 Creative v. Elenis that reaffirmed the government may not compel Americans to express messages they don’t believe. The case the Court heard targeted Lorie Smith, a graphic designer who did not want to create a website for a same-sex wedding based on her religious beliefs. “Today’s Supreme Court ruling is a great victory for freedom in America and freedom in Montana. In this important ruling, the Court protected freedom of speech, specifically the freedom not to speak.

Daines Commends Supreme Court Ruling Removing Racial Discrimination from College Admissions

U.S. SENATE – U.S. Senator Steve Daines today released the following statement in response to the Supreme Court’s decision to remove racial discrimination from college admissions. “Today’s ruling by the Supreme Court is also a victory for a civil rights movement built on the belief that discriminating based on race is morally and ethically wrong and runs contrary to the bedrock American principle that we are all created equal. It also rights a grave mistake by institutions of higher education that have been placed more value in political battles than free thought and the wellbeing of students. Harvard and UNC turned away qualified Asian American and white students solely on the basis

Daines Applauds SCOTUS Decision to Roll Back Government Overreach, Reaffirm Landowners’ Rights

U.S. SENATE – Senator Daines today released the following statement in response to the Supreme Court’s decision to side with private property owners Michael and Chantell Sackett in Sackett vs. the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and narrow the scope of the federal government’s regulatory authority over “waters of the United States.”            “Today the Supreme Court helped put Montana farmers and ranchers more in charge of the decisions about their own land, ripping it away from unelected Washington bureaucrats. Our farmers and ranchers feed the country and the world and should not have to fear an overbearing federal government making decisions about their land for

Daines, 42 Senators File Amicus Brief in Supreme Court Case Challenging Obama Administration’s Immigration Executive Actions

U.S. SENATE —Senator Steve Daines today joined 42 Senators in filing an amicus brief in the United States Supreme Court in support of a challenge by a majority of the nation’s governors and attorneys general of the states, led by the State of Texas, to the Obama Administration’s November 2014 executive actions on immigration.   The Supreme Court took up this case (United States of America vs. State of Texas) after the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit in November of 2015 affirmed a preliminary injunction by a federal district court in Brownsville, Texas blocking the Obama Administration from moving

Daines Statement on President Obama’s Nominee to the Supreme Court

U.S. SENATE — Senator Steve Daines today released the following statement reiterating that the American people should have the opportunity to elect a new President before a new Supreme Court justice is seated: “The replacement of Justice Scalia will have far-reaching impacts on our country for a generation. The American people have already begun voting on who the next President will be and their voice should continue to be reflected in a process that will have lasting implications on our nation. The U.S. Senate should exercise its constitutional powers by not confirming a new Supreme Court justice until the American people elect a

Daines Joins 34 Senators, 171 Representatives in Filing Amicus Brief, Urge Circuit Court to Block EPA Attempt to Transform the Nation’s Electricity Sector

U.S. SENATE — Senator Steve Daines today joined 34 Senators and 171 House Members in filing an amicus brief in the case of State of West Virginia, et al. v. Environmental Protection Agency, et al. The bipartisan amicus brief is in support of petitions filed by 27 states, including Montana, seeking to overturn the EPA final rule identified as the Carbon Pollution Emission Guidelines for Existing Stationary Sources: Electric Utility Generating Units, EPA-HQ-OAR-2013-0602, 80 Fed. Reg. 64,662 (Oct. 23, 2015), also known as the “Clean Power Plan.”  A copy of the brief can be found here.  As Senators and Representatives duly elected to serve in the Congress of the

Daines Statement on Passing of Supreme Court Associate Justice Antonin Scalia

BOZEMAN, Mont. — Senator Steve Daines today released the following statement upon news of the passing of Supreme Court Associate Justice Antonin Scalia. “Our nation has lost a giant of freedom who leaves behind a legacy of tirelessly defending our Constitution and the principles that make our nation great. Justice Scalia was a man of faith and a brilliant legal mind who dedicated himself to our country with a servant’s heart. Cindy and I are praying for his family and are grateful for his service to our country.” U.S. Supreme Court Associate Justice Antonin Scalia was appointed the court in 1986 by President Ronald Reagan. Scalia was unanimously confirmed by the

Daines Applauds U.S. Supreme Court Decision to Issue Nationwide Stay on Clean Power Plan

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Senator Steve Daines today applauded the U.S. Supreme Court decision to issue a nationwide stay on the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Clean Power Plan – successfully blocking implementation of the plan while it’s being challenged in court.   “The Supreme Court decision to issue a nationwide stay on the Obama administration’s misguided, job-killing rule is great news for Montana. The so-called Clean Power Plan will kill Montana jobs and leads our country in the wrong direction—away from being an energy leader,” Daines stated. “I appreciate Attorney General Tim Fox’s continued leadership to fight these anti-coal regulations. While

Daines Honors Jean Turnage on Senate Floor

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Senator Steve Daines today spoke on the Senate floor to honor Jean Turnage, former Montana Supreme Court Chief Justice and State Senate President who passed away earlier this week. Click here to download Daines’ remarks. Click here to watch Daines’ remarks.  Daines made the following remarks on the Senate floor: “I rise today in recognition of Jean Turnage, former Montana Supreme Court Chief Justice and State Senate President who passed away earlier this week. “Chief Justice Turnage was a true public servant who always put Montana and this nation first. He is remembered as a fair and tolerant judge, and a true gentleman