William Walter "Bill" Mercer (born 1964) is an American attorney and politician serving as a member of the

Montana House of Representatives The Montana House of Representatives is, with the Montana Senate, one of the two houses of the Montana Legislature. Composed of 100 members, the House elects its leadership every two years. Composition of the House :''67th Legislature – 2021� ...

from the 46th district. He previously served as the

United States Attorney United States attorneys are officials of the U.S. Department of Justice who serve as the chief federal law enforcement officers in each of the 94 U.S. federal judicial districts. Each U.S. attorney serves as the United States' chief federal ...

for the

District of Montana A district is a type of administrative division that, in some countries, is managed by the local government. Across the world, areas known as "districts" vary greatly in size, spanning regions or counties, several municipalities, subdivision ...

, as well as

principal associate deputy attorney general Principal may refer to: Title or rank * Principal (academia), the chief executive of a university ** Principal (education), the office holder/ or boss in any school * Principal (civil service) or principal officer, the senior management level i ...

for the

United States Department of Justice The United States Department of Justice (DOJ), also known as the Justice Department, is a federal executive department of the United States government tasked with the enforcement of federal law and administration of justice in the United Stat ...

. Mercer was nominated by President George W. Bush as

Associate Attorney General The associate attorney general of the United States is the third-highest-ranking official in the U.S. Department of Justice. The associate attorney general advises and assists the attorney general and the deputy attorney general in policies re ...

and served in the position in an acting capacity, but resigned before his confirmation hearing could take place.

Early life and education

Mercer was born in

Billings, Montana Billings is the largest city in the U.S. state of Montana, with a population of 117,116 as of the 2020 census. Located in the south-central portion of the state, it is the seat of Yellowstone County and the principal city of the Billings Met ...

. He received his

Juris Doctor The Juris Doctor (J.D. or JD), also known as Doctor of Jurisprudence (J.D., JD, D.Jur., or DJur), is a graduate-entry professional degree in law and one of several Doctor of Law degrees. The J.D. is the standard degree obtained to practice l ...

degree from

George Mason University George Mason University (George Mason, Mason, or GMU) is a public research university in Fairfax County, Virginia with an independent City of Fairfax, Virginia postal address in the Washington, D.C. Metropolitan Area. The university was origin ...

Master of Public Administration The Master of Public Administration (M.P.Adm., M.P.A., or MPA) is a specialized higher professional post graduate degree in public administration, similar/ equivalent to the Master of Business Administration but with an emphasis on the issues of ...

from

Harvard University Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of highe ...

, and a

Bachelor of Arts Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four yea ...

from the

University of Montana The University of Montana (UM) is a public research university in Missoula, Montana. UM is a flagship institution of the Montana University System and its second largest campus. UM reported 10,962 undergraduate and graduate students in the fa ...

Career

From 1994 to April 2001, Mercer served as an Assistant United States Attorney for the District of Montana. On April 20, 2001, he was nominated by President George W. Bush to serve as the United States Attorney for the District of Montana. While remaining as the U.S. Attorney, Mercer served as principal associate deputy attorney general in the United States Department of Justice from 2005 to 2006. He later served as the acting

United States Associate Attorney General The associate attorney general of the United States is the third-highest-ranking official in the U.S. Department of Justice. The associate attorney general advises and assists the attorney general and the deputy attorney general in policies re ...

starting in 2006, though resigned on June 22, 2007, in light of the dismissal of U.S. attorneys by the Bush administration. While some have alleged that Mercer was involved in the dismissal, there is no evidence that he was involved. During his tenure as U.S. Attorney, he helped create Project Safe Childhood, a Department of Justice initiative which actively combats technology-facilitated child sexual exploitation and child pornography. The project continues to coordinate with local, state, tribal, and non-governmental agencies and organizations to protect the safety and well-being of American children. In the

, Mercer chairs the House Judicial Committee, Law Enforcement and Justice Committee, and serves as a member on the House Appropriations Committee.

Electoral history

Mercer first announced his candidacy to the Montana House of Representatives in 2018. He won the 2018 General Election with 59.2% of the vote. In 2020, he successfully won his reelection bid, receiving 67.7% of the vote in the general election.

External links

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Mercer, William 1964 births 21st-century American politicians Antonin Scalia Law School alumni Dismissal of U.S. attorneys controversy George Mason University alumni Harvard University alumni Harvard Kennedy School alumni Living people Republican Party members of the Montana House of Representatives Politicians from Billings, Montana United States Associate Attorneys General United States Attorneys for the District of Montana University of Montana alumni