Sen Joe Manchin of West Virginia announced he will vote to confirm Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson to the Supreme Court after a week of contentious hearings, effectively ensuring she will ascend to the high court.
The conservative Democrat is often the swing vote in an evenly divided Senate. Former president Donald Trump won every county in his state in 2016 and 2020 and he voted to confirm Justices Neil Gorsuch and Brett Kavanaugh, though he voted against confirming Justice Amy Coney Barrett weeks before the 2020 presidential election.
His reservations about Democrats’ Build Back Better bill killed the legislation. His objections to Federal Reserve nominee Sarah Bloom Raskin effectively killed her nomination and she rescinded it shortly thereafter.
At the same time, Mr Manchin voted to confirm Ms Jackson to the US Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit. He has also consistently voted for Mr Biden’s other judicial nominations.
“After meeting with her, considering her record and closely watching 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,” he said in a statement.
Mr Manchin highlighted her clerkship for three different courts and her work as a judge.
“She also served as an Assistant Federal Public Defender – defending those who cannot afford legal representation, which is a pillar of our judicial system,” he said. Mr Manchin also said that he appreciated her connection to his home state.
“Notably, Judge Jackson and her family spend a great deal of time in West Virginia and her deep love of our state and her commitment to public service were abundantly clear,” he said.
Mr Manchin’s vote of confidence effectively guarantees Ms Jackson’s confirmation to the Supreme Court since nominations require a simple majority vote after Republicans changed the rules in 2017 when Democrats attempted to filibuster Mr Gorsuch’s confirmation.
The announcement comes after a week of hearings where Republicans aggressively questioned Ms Jackson about her record. Sen Josh Hawley asked her why she gave sentences he believed were too light to child sex offenders while Sen Ted Cruz often argued with Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Dick Durbin.
The Senate Judiciary Committee will vote whether to confirm Ms Jackson to the Supreme Court on April 4.
