Sen. Susan Collins will vote to confirm Ketanji Brown Jackson before the Supreme Court, essentially sealing the judge’s fate.
Maine’s Collins is the first Republican to announce her support for the DC Court of Appeals judge.
“I have decided to support the confirmation of Justice Jackson as a member of the Supreme Court,” the moderate Republican told the New York Times after meeting with Brown a second time.
The senator said she was assured that Jackson “would not bend the law to accommodate a personal preference.”
Collins expressed that she was unfazed by GOP attacks on Jackson’s conviction record for child pornography, gender, critical race theory, and the judge’s time as a public defender of Guantanamo Bay detainees.
“In recent years, senators on both sides of the aisle have strayed from what I believe to be the appropriate process for evaluating judge candidates,” she said. “In my view, the role assigned to the Senate under the Constitution is to consider the candidate’s credentials, experience and qualifications. The point is not to judge whether a candidate reflects a senator’s individual ideology or would vote exactly as an individual senator would like.’
Senator Susan Collins (left) will vote to confirm Ketanji Brown Jackson (right) on the Supreme Court, essentially sealing the judge’s fate
Maine’s Collins is the first Republican to announce her support for the DC Court of Appeals judge
Jackson, 51, was also likely confirmed without Collins’ vote, as no Democrats have voiced any criticism of her record. But Collins’ vote likely removes the need for Vice President Kamala Harris to serve as the deciding voice in the divided Senate.
Collins met with Jackson for about 90 minutes prior to last week’s hearings and had another hour-long session on Tuesday where the two discussed issues that arose during the Judiciary Committee hearings.
It’s not yet clear if any Republicans will join Collins to vote yes – moderate Sens. Mitt Romney, Utah, and Lisa Murkowski, Ala. Jackson also met with Romney on Tuesday.
Some Republicans, even those viewed as potential “yes” votes for Jackson’s confirmation, expressed concern that during the hearings she refused to respond to her opinion on the Supreme Court appointment.
“I don’t understand that because it’s not an issue that’s brought up in court, so as a candidate, she should be able to talk about it,” Ohio Republican Senator Rob Portman said on Sunday on NBC’s “Meet the Press.” . “And I worry that she wasn’t ready for that.”
Collins said Jackson assured her during their meeting on Tuesday that she would “stay out of this topic forever.”
Collins was one of three in her party to vote for Jackson’s confirmation on the Circuit Court of Appeals, along with Murkowski and Sen. Lindsey Graham, RS.C.
The Maine Republican is often seen as a winning vote in contentious Supreme Court clashes — she voted for six of the nine sitting Supreme Court justices.
Jackson also met with Sen. Mitt Romney, R-Utah Tuesday
President Biden reportedly called Collins three times about the Supreme Court vacancy, including on the day he made his selection. Chief Justice Senator Dick Durbin, Illinois, came forward shortly after Judge Stephen Breyer announced his resignation.
Collins did not vote for Judge Amy Coney Barrett, citing the proximity of the 2020 election. Collins herself was up for re-election that year with a tough progressive challenger with broad national support, and moderate voters who supported her had feared she stood Donald Trump too close. She announced her “no” vote only after Romney announced he would vote “yes.”
Maine Democrats said Collins received a “hall pass” from GOP leader Sen. Mitch McConnell to vote no after he was certain he would have enough votes to confirm without them.
Two years earlier, in 2018, she voted to confirm Judge Brett Kavanaugh.
McConnell probably isn’t too mad at Collins this time either, since Senator Joe Manchin, W.Virginia, a key moderate Democratic voter, has already announced that he will vote for Jackson.