Republican Senator Susan Collins confirmed Wednesday morning she will vote to confirm Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson to the Supreme Court. With a 50-50 Senate and all Democrats onboard, Jackson will soon become an Associate Justice.
"After reviewing Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson’s extensive record, watching much of her hearing testimony, and meeting with her twice in person, 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 released in a statement. "In my meetings with Judge Jackson, we discussed in depth several issues that were raised in her hearing. Sometimes I agreed with her; sometimes I did not. And just as I have disagreed with some of her decisions to date, I have no doubt that, if Judge Jackson is confirmed, I will not agree with every vote that she casts as a Justice."
"That alone, however, is not disqualifying. Indeed, that statement applies to all six Justices, nominated by both Republican and Democratic Presidents, whom I have voted to confirm," she continued. "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."
During her confirmation hearings last week, Jackson was repeatedly pressed by a number of Republicans about her long record of under-sentencing child pornographers.
HAWLEY: "I just don‘t understand why...you could give this guy three months in prison when the probation office...recommended 18 months...Do you have anything to add?"
— Townhall.com (@townhallcom) March 23, 2022
JACKSON: "No Senator." pic.twitter.com/M2Mln4wnnG
As of yesterday, the Senate Judiciary still did not have Jackson's full record.
The fact that cases regarding child pornography sentencing were left off the list of child abuse cases provided to the Senate Judiciary Committee requires more scrutiny, not less.
— Lindsey Graham (@LindseyGrahamSC) March 29, 2022
All Senators should have access to all relevant materials in a timely and appropriate fashion.