AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite
- Sen. Lisa Murkowski said on Monday that she will back Ketanji Brown Jackson’s SCOTUS nomination.
- Murkowski joins Sens. Susan Collins of Maine and Mitt Romney of Utah in backing Jackson.
- The Biden White House had long sought bipartisan support for Jackson’s nomination.
Republican Sen. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska on Monday announced that she’ll vote to confirm Ketanji Brown Jackson’s “historic nomination” to the Supreme Court, giving the judge a major bipartisan boost as Democratic leaders eye a final vote later this week.
Murkowski — who also supported the Jackson’s confirmation to her current seat on the US Court of Appeals for the DC Circuit last year — announced her decision during a procedural Senate vote to advance Jackson’s nomination after the Senate Judiciary Committee produced a tie vote.
“After multiple in-depth conversations with Judge Jackson and deliberative review of her record and recent hearings, I will support her historic nomination to be an Associate Justice on the U.S. Supreme Court,” Murkowski said in a statement.
“My support rests on Judge Jackson’s qualifications, which no one questions; her demonstrated judicial independence; her demeanor and temperament; and the important perspective she would bring to the court as a replacement for Justice Breyer,” she continued. “She will bring to the Supreme Court a range of experience from the courtroom that few can match given her background in litigation.”
Murkowski lamented the “corrosive” politicization of Supreme Court nominations in recent years and argued that she found Jackson’s judicial approach to be balanced.
“While I have not and will not agree with all of Judge Jackson’s decisions and opinions, her approach to cases is carefully considered and is generally well-reasoned,” she said. “She answered satisfactorily to my questions about matters like the Chevron doctrine, the Second Amendment, landmark Alaska laws, and Alaska Native issues.”
She added: “The support she has received from law enforcement agencies around the country is significant and demonstrates the judge is one who brings balance to her decisions.”
Murkowski joins Republican Sen. Susan Collins of Maine and Mitt Romney of Utah, who have also announced their support for Jackson. Collins revealed her vote last week, while Romney, like Murkowski, announced his support on Monday evening.
The show of support marks a significant development, given that every Republican on the Judiciary Committee opposed Jackson’s nomination and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell has reportedly encouraged his caucus to vote against the historic judicial nominee. The news also comes as Democrats and the White House had pushed for a bipartisan confirmation vote for Jackson.
Jackson’s final confirmation vote is expected later this week. If approved, she will become the first-ever Black woman on the Supreme Court.
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