After Supreme Court nominee Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson concluded her hearings before the Senate Judiciary Committee last week, she continued her walk on Capitol Hill Tuesday and met lawmakers, including GOP Sens. Tommy Tuberville, Bill Hagerty, and Mitt Romney.
The Senate committee postponed its vote over Jackson on Monday, delaying it by one week until senators will convene again on April 4 to vote on moving her nomination to a full vote in the 100-member Senate, which will likely take place on or before April 11. Meanwhile, Senate Judiciary Chairman Dick Durbin, an Illinois Democrat, has said he is “still hopeful” some GOP lawmakers could cast their vote for the nominee in a show of bipartisan support.
But Republicans Tuberville and Hagerty, who met with Jackson Tuesday morning, are likely “no” votes for Jackson despite their willingness to lend Jackson a “full and fair evaluation of her record,” Tuberville said in February after she was tapped to succeed retiring Justice Stephen Breyer.
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When asked by reporters if there was anything specific he sought to gain from meeting Jackson on Tuesday, Tuberville said he wanted to “get to know her,” adding “we will find out today” if he has any intention of voting for her confirmation. The Alabama Republican also said he “believes” Jackson respects the Constitution when asked by a reporter, noting the lawmakers’ previously stated qualification standards.
During Hagerty’s meeting, he said he “had not decided yet” when he would announce his decision on whether or not to support Jackson’s confirmation. The Tennessee senator added that “I’m looking forward to getting to know the judge today and understand more about her philosophy and her views.”
Jackson will meet Romney, a Utah Republican, who previously opposed her confirmation to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit last year.
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In the weeks since her nomination, Romney has said he will keep an open mind regarding his vote on whether to name her as the next Supreme Court justice.
A Supreme Court confirmation only needs a majority vote in the Senate. Last week, Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin said he would vote to confirm Jackson, assuring her confirmation so long as Democrats remain united and coupled with Vice President Kamala Harris’s tiebreaking vote.
