(C) Daily Montanan This story was originally published by Daily Montanan and is unaltered. . . . . . . . . . . Federal, state legislators sign letter supporting Flint appointment [1] ['Jordan Hansen', 'More From Author', '- August', '.Wp-Block-Co-Authors-Plus-Coauthors.Is-Layout-Flow', 'Class', 'Wp-Block-Co-Authors-Plus', 'Display Inline', '.Wp-Block-Co-Authors-Plus-Avatar', 'Where Img', 'Height Auto Max-Width'] Date: 2025-08-04 Power players in the state’s Republican Party and Montana’s congressional delegates are among those who have signed a letter in support of Jessica Flint, a controversial appointee to the Criminal Justice Oversight Council. The gubernatorial appointment, which deals with civil rights for incarcerated prisoners, has drawn the ire of progressives in the state for removing representatives from the American Civil Liberties Union, who previously sat on the council. Flint works for Alliance Defending Freedom, a Christian legal advocacy organization. The letter to Gov. Greg Gianforte reads as a response to a separate letter penned by Disability Rights Montana to Gianforte last week. That letter, signed by a number of organizations and some Democratic lawmakers, asked for council work to stop until someone with “appropriate experience” was appointed. The Criminal Justice Oversight Council was created by the Montana Legislature in 2017 and consists of 18 members — four legislators and 14 appointed members representing various parts of the criminal justice system. The council’s job is to study and recommend solutions to issues in the state’s criminal justice system and work with the legislature. Monday’s letter in support of Flint is signed by Montana’s entire Republican federal delegation as well as more than 40 Republican legislators. Statewide officials signed the letter as well, including Attorney General Austin Knudsen, State Auditor James Brown, Clerk of the Supreme Court Bowen Greenwood, and State Superintendent Susie Hedalen. Several members of the council — Alan Doane, Jimmy Patelis and Ross Canen signed on to the letter as well. “Mrs. Flint is a highly qualified and diligent advocate whose experience and integrity have earned broad respect among those who value genuine protection of rights and public safety in Montana,” the letter reads. “We respectfully address the concerns raised recently by some Democrat lawmakers and various liberal advocacy organizations regarding this appointment, and we affirm your decision to appoint Mrs. Flint, who is highly qualified and brings a fresh, competent perspective to this critical role.” The letter says Flint is a State Government Relations Manager for ADF and has had roles with U.S. Sen. Steve Daines, U.S. Rep. Ryan Zinke, and former U.S. Rep. Denny Rehberg. She also briefly worked for the Office of Public Instruction. The ADF is not known for its prison advocacy work. The ACLU, however, is, and the civil rights organization had one of its members in what’s now Flint’s seat since the council’s inception eight years ago. “The concerns raised about replacing the ACLU overlook the organization’s well-documented partisan political activity,” Monday’s letter read. “The ACLU has consistently supported Democrat candidates through significant financial contributions and voter mobilization efforts, often prioritizing issues that closely align with Democratic Party platforms.” The ADF’s only major work with incarcerated people seems to be around religious literature in prisons and where transgender people are housed in prisons. The ADF has not responded to multiple interview requests, including to speak with Flint. The letter, however, paints a picture of what role the ADF could play in state policy. “ADF’s advocacy, particularly in protecting female privacy and safety, addresses a critical civil rights issue within Montana’s criminal justice system,” Monday’s letter reads. “ADF has championed the rights of women in prisons who face privacy and safety violations when housed with men. The ACLU, however, has opposed such protections, prioritizing a radical gender ideology over the safety concerns of female inmates.” The ACLU disagreed with the letter’s assertions. “The ACLU of Montana is a nonpartisan organization that does not endorse candidates,” ACLU of Montana said in a statement Monday. “For decades we have been advocating for the health, safety and welfare of all individuals who are caught up in the criminal justice system, regardless of race, sex, disability, sexual orientation or gender identity.” Monday’s letter made specific references to the ADF’s stance on transgender people in prisons, which last year the organization called “radical.” Federal changes in policy toward transgender people are changing. Federal laws under the Obama and Biden Administrations sought solutions to problems transgender people face in prison, particularly sexual assault. Transgender people face much higher rates of sexual assault in prison. A large-scale study, administered by the federal government, found in 2015 that 37% of transgender inmates were sexually assaulted during a one-year period, compared with 3.4% of cisgender people surveyed. The Trump administration has canceled grants related to the Prison Rape Elimination Act Resource Center, which some advocates have worried sends a broader message about the federal legislation that created it. The Prison Rape Elimination Act is federal law from 2003 that was passed in an attempt to cut down on sexual assault rates in prison. The ACLU was heavily involved with work surrounding the PREA. It’s unclear how many transgender people are incarcerated in Montana, though the state does have a committee to place transgender and intersex prisoners. Flint appears to have some interest in this issue, and met Riley Gaines a former competitive swimmer and outspoken anti-trans advocate with a national platform. Gaines was testifying for a Montana law. Jessica Flint’s husband, conservative talk radio host Aaron Flint, has also made recent statements on his social media regarding incarcerated people, though it was unclear if his values lined up with those of his wife. “The ACLU claims they protect the rights of the incarcerated, yet they want to trample on the rights of incarcerated women by forcing them to be imprisoned with men proven to assault them,” Aaron Flint wrote on July 25. Additionally, the letter said Jessica Flint’s appointment could bring reform. “Mrs. Flint’s appointment brings to the Council a perspective equipped with strong constitutional grounding and a demonstrated ability to address complex public policy matters,” the letter reads. “We applaud this forward-looking decision and are confident Mrs. Flint’s leadership will result in policies and reforms that truly serve all Montanans.” Flint Support Letter [END] --- [1] Url: https://dailymontanan.com/2025/08/04/federal-state-legislators-sign-letter-supporting-flint-appointment-to-oversight-council/ Published and (C) by Daily Montanan Content appears here under this condition or license: Creative Commons CC BY-NC-ND 4.0. via Magical.Fish Gopher News Feeds: gopher://magical.fish/1/feeds/news/montanan/