“I have decided to support Judge Jackson’s confirmation that he is a member of the Supreme Court,” Collins, a Republican moderate, told the New York Times after meeting the candidate for a second time. “The’re is no doubt [Jackson] has the qualifications to be a judge of the supreme court “. The confirmation was not disputed. Democrats only need their own 50 votes in the equally divided Senate to put Jackson in court, given Vice President Kamala Harris’ predominant vote. Joe Mancin, a centrist Democrat from West Virginia, had already confirmed his support. But the vice president’s vote never had to confirm the justice of the Supreme Court, making Collins’s vote at least symbolically significant. Collins’s support also comes at a time of bitter partisanship highlighted by a hostile and politically charged interrogation of Jackson led by white, hardline Republicans, including Tom Cotton, Ted Cruz and Josh Howley. In the run-up to next week’s confirmation vote, other moderate Republicans could follow Collins and announce support for Jackson. In particular, Mitt Romney from Utah, the Republican candidate for president in 2012, said he has not yet decided. Jackson will replace Stephen Breyer when he retires this summer. As Breyer is a member of the unrivaled liberal team on the pitch, his replacement will not change the 6-3 Conservative majority. Republicans, including Senate Minority Leader Mick McConnell of Kentucky, have complained that Jackson will not take part in progressive calls for an extension of the court to restore his ideological balance at the hearing. . Speaking to the Times, Collins said: “In recent years, senators on both sides of the aisle have strayed from what I consider to be the proper process for evaluating candidate judges. “In my view, the role of the Senate under the Constitution is to examine the candidate’s credentials, experience and qualifications. “It’s not up to us to assess whether a candidate reflects a senator’s individual ideology or would vote exactly as an individual senator would.” The Supreme Court’s affirmations have become highly political and increasingly vicious. In 2016, as the leader of the majority in the Senate, McConnell refused even a hearing for the final candidate of Barack Obama, Merrick Garland, thus keeping a position open to be filled by what he hoped would be a Republican president in 2016, something where it happened. Collins duly voted to confirm Donald Trump’s first candidate, Neil Gorsos, the recipient of such harsh tactics. Collins also voted to confirm Brett Cavanaugh, Trump’s second candidate, who categorically denied the allegations of sexual assault. But Collins voted not to confirm Amy Connie Barrett, a hardline conservative confirmed shortly before the 2020 presidential election, to replace Ruth Bender Ginsburg, a liberal lion, in a blatant breach of alleged pro-election allegations. had been formulated by McConnell four years before. During the 2020 Democratic qualifiers, Joe Biden promised to put a black woman in the Supreme Court. Some Republicans have spoken out against such a promise, ignoring a precedent, including Trump’s oath to appoint a woman to replace Ginsburg. In 2021, Collins was one of only three Republicans to vote for Jackson in federal court. The other two were Lindsay Graham of South Carolina – a hostile question at Jackson Supreme Court hearings – and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska. Murkowski has not said how she will vote this time. Explaining her vote to the Times, Collins cited “Jackson’s extensive experience as a lawyer, private practice attorney, federal public defender, member of the U.S. Conviction Committee, and district attorney for more than eight years.” In a tweet, White House Chief of Staff Ron Klein said, “I thank Senator Collins for paying fair, thoughtful attention to Judge Jackson – and to all of the president’s judicial candidacies.”
