Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson picks up Republican Senator Susan Collins’ vote for the Supreme Court

After meeting with Supreme Court nominee Ketanji Brown Jackson twice, Maine Sen. Susan Collins announced that she would support her confirmation. In a lengthy statement, the Maine Republican said, “I have concluded that she possesses the experience, qualifications, and integrity to serve as an Associate Justice on the Supreme Court. I will, therefore, vote to confirm her to this position.”

Collins’ support now mirrors the support she offered Jackson during her lower court nomination in 2021. In her statement, she criticized the partisan approach to Supreme Court nominations saying, “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’ support follows significant outreach by the White House to GOP senators in hope of gaining bipartisan support for Jackson. With united support from Democrats, including West Virginia Sen. Joe Manchin, and now Collins’ support, the numbers look positive for Jackson to gain Senate confirmation.