President Joe Biden's nominee for the United States Supreme Court, Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson, is reportedly nearing her confirmation since three Republican Senators have already expressed voting in her favor.
The Christian Post said United States Senators Susan Collins of Maine, Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, and Mitt Romney of Utah joined the whole Democratic Party in voting for the discharge petition for Jackson on Monday in a 53-47 vote. The petition was raised by the Democratic Senators to advance Jackson's nomination to the Senate floor when the Senate Judiciary Committee ended in deadlock for a favorable recommendation for her.
The Senate Judiciary Committee is a 22-member committee comprised of 50/50 Democrats and Republicans as representation of the full Senate. The committee has been reviewing Jackson's credentials and is expected to give a favorable recommendation for Jackson, which did not materialize. A favorable recommendation is an important step but not a prerequisite to a judge's confirmation to the Supreme Court.
The Senate is scheduled to make a final vote on Jackson later this week. All 50 Democrats are voting for Jackson and the three Republicans' votes make a simple majority that will seal the confirmation.
Meanwhile, Collins released a statement regarding her stand on the nomination. Collins explained that she found Jackson suitable for the seat that will be vacated by Associate Justice Stephen Breyer on his retirement's effectivity. Collins stressed that, though she does not agree with Jackson on certain issues, this does not become a hindrance to her nomination.
The senator also revealed her frustration at how justices have been reviewed and interviewed in the past in line with their nomination. She pointed out that her vote serves as a statement against this frustrating process.
"In my view, the role the Constitution clearly assigns to the Senate is to examine the experience, qualifications, and integrity of the nominee. 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 said.
"It used to be common for Senators to give the President, regardless of political party, considerable deference in the choice of a nominee...This approach served the Senate, the Court, and the Country well. It instilled confidence in the independence and the integrity of the judiciary and helped keep the Court above the political fray. And this is the approach that I plan to continue to use for Supreme Court nominations because it runs counter to the disturbing trend of politicizing the judicial nomination process," she concluded.
Murkowski expressed the same sentiments as Collins in a press release dated April 4. Murkowski similarly based her decision on Jackson's qualifications, as well as her demeanor, temperament, and perspective that suits a replacement for Breyer. She also highlighted the support given to Jackson by law enforcement agencies as one factor in her decision.
Similarly, Murkowski stressed rejecting the politicization happening in the review process of Supreme Court nominees by both Democrats and Republicans. She said the politicization is "growing worse and more detached from reality by the year."
On the other hand, Romney originally expressed voting against Jackson. The senator eventually explained in a statement that he concluded Jackson to be a "well-qualified jurist and a person of honor." This decision comes after reviewing her testimony and track record. He then congratulated Jackson for her upcoming confirmation as the nation's next United States Supreme Court Associate Justice.
The three Republicans' decisions, however, were not received well by members of the Grand Old Party. In particular, United States Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia called them pro-pedophiles in a tweet on Monday. Greene alleged that there are more qualified Black women judges than Jackson who do not choose to protect "evil child predators."
Greene's statement comes after an expose done by Missouri Senator Josh Hawley showed Jackson to be soft on sex offenders and traffickers. The expose was based on Jackson's school and court records.
