WASHINGTON — The U.S. Senate confirmed Katie Lane to a lifetime appointment as a federal district court judge for the District of Montana on Tuesday in a 52-46 party-line vote, with all Republicans in support and all Democrats opposed.
Lane, 34, a Bozeman native who most recently served as an attorney for the Republican National Committee, will replace retiring Judge Susan Watters, who announced in 2025 that she would assume senior status. Lane’s chambers will be based in Billings.
President Donald Trump nominated Lane in March 2026 following his announcement of intent in February. Lane graduated from George Mason University’s Antonin Scalia Law School in 2017 and subsequently clerked for a U.S. district judge and a Tenth Circuit Court judge. She served as Montana’s Deputy Solicitor General from 2021 to 2023 under Attorney General Austin Knudsen before moving to private practice and later the Republican National Committee.
Montana’s two U.S. senators, Steve Daines and Tim Sheehy, praised the confirmation in a joint statement, saying Lane’s experience as Deputy Solicitor General and in courts across the country made her well qualified to serve. Knudsen, under whom Lane served at the Department of Justice, also congratulated her on the confirmation. Gov. Greg Gianforte said he had known Lane for years and expressed confidence she would perform well on the bench.