CAPITOL HILL POLITICS (Washington Insider Magazine) – Republican sen. Susan Collins has decided to cast the key Republican vote in the favour of Ketanji Brown Jackson into the Supreme Court. She has shown faith in Ketanji to be nominated as the first black woman to serve in the Supreme Court.
Susan Collins Decision
Collins said, “After hearing Judge Ketanji’s extensive record, watching her testimony, and meeting with her twice in person, I have concluded that she possesses the experience, qualification and integrity to serve as an associate justice on the Supreme Court”.
Senator Susan Collins Made up her mind to support Jackson’s nomination after their second meeting. The Maine senator claimed that she had a good time meeting Ketanji as they discussed and clarified some outstanding issues.
The white house has been hoping for Ketanji’s nomination as it seems to clear the Senate with bipartisan backing and Collin’s support has ensured this will happen.
GOP Senators
Two of the other GOP senators Mitt Romney of Utah and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska are also seen as a prospect who can aim to confirm Jackson but they have not yet confirmed it.
Romney had a meeting with Jackson on Tuesday but he decided not to reveal his verdict until the senate holds its final vote. On the other side, Lisa met Jackson earlier this month and she is also one of those republicans who backed Jackson’s nomination for the vacant position.
Meanwhile, Jackson appeared before the senate judiciary committee last week for gruelling two days of questions from the panel’s 22 democratic and republican members.
Joe Biden announced Jackson as his nominee to replace retiring justice Stephen Breyer at the end of February. Jackson’s nomination has significance in more than one way as she became the first black woman in history to be nominated to the supreme court.
Jackson’s confirmation hearing went on for a total of four days where the Judiciary committee zeroed in on Jackson’s sentencing record in child pornography cases during her tenure as a judge at the federal district court in Washington.
The authorities criticised her for imposing lenient sentences against the culprits which were well below federal sentencing guidelines.
Some of the GOP senators blamed Jackson for declining to place a label on her judicial philosophy as well as for the clients she represented as a federal public defender.
Susan Collins claims that she got a chance to discuss with Jackson the various issues raised during her confirmation hearing.
She said in a statement “Sometimes I agreed with her; sometimes I did not. And just as I have disagreed with some of her decisions to date, I do not doubt that, if judge Jackson is confirmed, I will not agree with every vote that she cast as justice”
With democrats controlling 50 seats in the senate, Jackson does not need Republican support to win the position at the supreme court but vice president Kamala Haris’ vote has become even more crucial as her vote could prove to be a deciding factor.
