Sen. Susan Collins will vote to confirm Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson to the Supreme Court. She is the first — and could be the only — Republican to back Jackson’s confirmation.
She was widely viewed as the most likely GOP vote for Jackson, the first Black woman nominated to the high court, and Biden had lobbied Collins for her support, calling the senator to discuss the Supreme Court vacancy at least three times.
“In my view, the role the Constitution clearly assigns to the Senate is to examine the experience, qualifications, and integrity of the nominee,” she said. “It is not to assess whether a nominee reflects the ideology of an individual Senator or would rule exactly as an individual Senator would want.”
Collins’ support for Jackson not only ensures Biden’s high court pick is on a glide path to confirmation but also essentially guarantees Democrats won’t need Vice President Kamala Harris to deliver a tie-breaking vote on her final confirmation. Senate Democratic leadership is aiming to confirm Jackson to replace retiring Justice Stephen Breyer by the end of next week.