Susan Collins will support Supreme Court nominee Ketanji Brown Jackson

WASHINGTON – Republican Sen. Susan Collins of Maine introduced Wednesday that she intends to vote sure on Decide Ketanji Brown Jackson’s nomination to the Supreme Courtroom. The announcement means Jackson might be confirmed to the courtroom with bipartisan help.

“After reviewing Decide Ketanji Brown Jackson’s in depth document, watching a lot of her listening to testimony, and assembly along with her twice in particular person, I’ve concluded that she possesses the expertise, {qualifications}, and integrity to function an Affiliate Justice on the Supreme Courtroom,” Collins mentioned in an announcement. “I’ll, subsequently, vote to verify her to this place.”

Jackson would be the first Black girl to serve on the nation’s highest courtroom.  

On Friday, Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin of West Virginia introduced he, too, would help the nomination, all however guaranteeing Jackson’s affirmation. The Senate is evenly break up, with 50 Democratic caucus members and 50 Republican members. Jackson wants a easy majority of 51 of the 100 senators to be confirmed. 

Swing votes for Jackson:Manchin to vote for Ketanji Brown Jackson, seemingly making certain she would be the first Black girl on Supreme Courtroom

Collins’ announcement means there will not be a tie vote that Vice President Kamala Harris would wish to interrupt. Extra Republicans may come out in help of Jackson, like Sen. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska or Sen. Mitt Romney of Utah, who mentioned Tuesday he had but to decide. 

Collins, Murkowski and GOP Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina voted sure on her appointment to her present federal courtroom function. Graham’s aggressive questioning and remarks throughout the affirmation listening to, nevertheless, counsel he’s unlikely to help Jackson this time round. 

Extra:Two-thirds of People again Decide Ketanji Brown Jackson for Supreme Courtroom, ballot exhibits

Talking to reporters after her preliminary assembly with Jackson in early March, Collins mentioned, “I believe it is essential to acknowledge that she has been confirmed thrice now, so this isn’t a candidate who has a clean slate to us.” 

Their preliminary one-on-one assembly lasted greater than an hour and a half, throughout which Collins mentioned she requested Jackson a few resolution she made that was overturned by the circuit courtroom. 

GOP pushed Jackson on her document

In the course of the affirmation hearings final week, Republicans pressed Jackson on her document sentencing defendants in baby porn circumstances and as a federal public defender representing detainees at Guantanamo Bay. In typically acrimonious backwards and forwards, Republican members of the Senate Judiciary Committee requested Jackson about her views of courtroom packing, vital race idea and gender. 

Ketanji Brown Jackson hearings:Graham, Jackson spar over baby pornography sentencing

“In my conferences with Decide Jackson, we mentioned in depth a number of points that had been raised in her listening to.  Typically I agreed along with her; typically I didn’t.  And simply as I’ve disagreed with a few of her selections thus far, I’ve little question that, if Decide Jackson is confirmed, I can’t agree with each vote that she casts as a Justice,” Collins mentioned.   

“That alone, nevertheless, just isn’t disqualifying,” she added. 

Takeaways:Judicial philosophy to baby porn sentencing: Key takeaways from Ketanji Brown Jackson’s Supreme Courtroom hearings

Collins’ Supreme Courtroom vote historical past

Collins voted sure on Justice Brett Kavanaugh’s nomination, however no on Justice Amy Coney Barrett.

“For my part, the function the Structure clearly assigns to the Senate is to look at the expertise, {qualifications}, and integrity of the nominee.  It’s not to evaluate whether or not a nominee displays the ideology of a person Senator or would rule precisely as a person Senator would need,” Collins mentioned in her assertion Wednesday.

“That is the strategy that I plan to proceed to make use of for Supreme Courtroom nominations as a result of it runs counter to the disturbing development of politicizing the judicial nomination course of.”

Contributing: Bart Jansen