West Virginia Senator Joe Manchin announced he intends to support the confirming Supreme Court nominee Ketanji Brown Jackson.
The senator’s vote makes it almost certain Jackson will be confirmed to the Court.
With Vice President Kamala Harris casting a tie-breaking vote, the Democrats can complete the confirmation if all their Senate members vote along party lines.
Manchin has a mixed voting record and had broken with his party on recent major issues.
“After meeting with [Jackson], considering her record, and closely monitoring her testimony and questioning before the Senate Judiciary Committee this week, I have determined I intend to vote for her nomination to serve on the Supreme Court,” Manchin said in a statement on March 25.
“Her wide array of experiences in varying sectors of our judicial system have provided Judge Jackson a unique perspective that will serve her well on our nation’s highest court,” the senator said. “Notably, Judge Jackson and her family spend a great deal of time in West Virginia and her deep love of our state and commitment to public service were abundantly clear. I am confident Judge Jackson is supremely qualified and has the disposition necessary to serve as our nation’s next Supreme Court Justice.”
After meeting with Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson, considering her record, and closely monitoring her testimony and questioning before the Senate Judiciary Committee this week, I have determined I intend to vote for her nomination to serve on the Supreme Court. My full statement: pic.twitter.com/SUgwuBtHup
— Senator Joe Manchin (@Sen_JoeManchin) March 25, 2022
Montana Democratic Senator Jon Tester also announced he would vote for Jackson’s confirmation. He said she had “a deep commitment to the rule of law, to defending Montanans’ constitutional rights, and to impartiality.”
“The two most closely-watched Republicans are Sen. Susan Collins, of Maine, and Lisa Murkowski, of Alaska — both voted to confirm Jackson to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit last year. Neither has taken a position yet on her Supreme Court nomination,” per NCB News.
Murkowski told the outlet that she has not yet deeply considered the issue as she has been preoccupied in the wake of the death of Alaska’s only Representative, Don Young.
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky said on March 24 that he would vote against Jackson’s confirmation.
“I enjoyed meeting the nominee,” McConnell said in a statement on the floor. “But after studying the nominee’s record and watching her performance this week, I cannot and will not support Judge Jackson for a lifetime appointment to the Supreme Court.”
McConnell said Jackson “declined to address critically important questions and ameliorate real concerns.”
“Judge Jackson was the court-packers’ pick. And she testified like it,” he added. McConnell voted against her appointment to the D.C. circuit court in 2021.
