The Senate Judiciary Committee on Monday voted along party lines in an 11-11 split for Supreme Court nominee Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson.
The vote, briefly held up because of a rerouted aircraft carrying Democratic California Sen. Alex Padilla, is just the initial step in the process to confirm Jackson as the first Black woman to sit on the nation’s highest court.
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) now expects to move to discharge the nomination and send it to the Senate floor for a full vote later this week.
With all Senate Democrats and now at least three Republicans — Susan Collins of Maine, Lisa Murkowski of Alaska and Mitt Romney of Utah — seemingly in favor of Jackson, it appears the nominee will obtain the 51 votes needed to overcome a GOP filibuster and discharge the nomination.
“We applaud the Senate Judiciary Committee for taking a critical step towards a U.S. Supreme Court that represents our communities and fulfills the promise of equal justice under law,” said Wade Henderson, CEO of the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights.
“At her hearing, Judge Jackson showed the nation why she will be a justice for all — her years of experience as an even-handed jurist, her brilliance and passion for the law, and her commitment to fairness and to upholding the constitutional rights of all,” Henderson said.
“In the face of dishonest attacks and shameful attempts to derail her nomination, Judge Jackson demonstrated her thoughtful judicial temperament and perseverance,” he said. “She is ready to serve on our highest court, and we call on the full Senate to confirm this distinguished and highly qualified nominee immediately.” Read more at The Washington Informer.
Photo: **FILE** Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson speaks as Vice President Kamala Harris stands by, after President Joe Biden’s nomination of her to serve as Associate Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court, at The White House in Washington, D.C., on Feb. 25, 2022. (Cheriss May/The Washington Informer)
