Murkowski, Romney to join Collins and vote to confirm Ketanji Brown Jackson to Supreme Court

Republican Sens. Lisa Murkowski and Mitt Romney said Monday they will join Sen. Susan Collins in favor of confirming Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson to the United States Supreme Court, all but assuring that she will become the first Black woman to serve on the high court.

Murkowski and Romney announced their decisions Monday evening after the Senate Judiciary Committee deadlocked in an 11-11 party-line vote on whether to advance Jackson’s nomination. The tie required the full Senate to vote to move it forward in a procedural vote, which it did by a vote of 53-47. Collins had announced her decision to vote to confirm Jackson last week.

With the three Republicans signaling that they will vote yes on Jackson's confirmation and all Senate Democrats poised to follow suit, she is expected to be confirmed by that same margin in Monday's vote of 53-47.

President Joe Biden nominated Jackson to replace retiring Justice Stephen Breyer, meaning her confirmation will not shift the court’s current 6-3 conservative majority. If Jackson is confirmed as expected in a final Senate vote later this week, she will become the first Black woman to serve on the Supreme Court.

"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,” Murkowski, R-Alaska, said in a statement, adding that her support "also rests on my rejection of the corrosive politicization of the review process for Supreme Court nominees, which, on both sides of the aisle, is growing worse and more detached from reality by the year.”

Murkowski and Collins both voted to confirm Jackson to her current position on the Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit last summer, along with Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., who is opposing Jackson's nomination to the Supreme Court. Murkowski is up for reelection this fall, with a new ranked-choice voting system in Alaska potentially rewarding more moderate candidates.

“After reviewing Judge Jackson's record and testimony, I have concluded that she is a well-qualified jurist and a person of honor,” Romney, R-Utah, said in a statement. “While I do not expect to agree with every decision she may make on the Court, I believe that she more than meets the standard of excellence and integrity. I congratulate Judge Jackson on her expected confirmation and look forward to her continued service to our nation.”

Collins, R-Maine, who had voted to confirm both of former President Barack Obama’s Supreme Court nominees, announced her decision last week.

"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,” Collins said. “I will, therefore, vote to confirm her to this position.”

A Yahoo News/YouGov poll released Monday found that 42 percent of Americans supported Jackson’s nomination, 27 percent opposed and 31 percent were not sure.