Republican Sen. Susan Collins announced that she would not side with her party to confirm Judge Amy Coney Barrett to the Supreme Court.
“Prior to Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s death, I stated that should a vacancy on the Supreme Court arise, the Senate should follow the precedent set four years ago and not vote on a nominee prior to the presidential election,” Collins said in a statement. “Because this vote is occurring prior to the election, I will vote against the nomination of Judge Amy Coney Barrett.”
Collins said that her vote isn’t a reflection of how she feels about Barrett’s qualifications.
“To be clear, my vote does not reflect any conclusion that I have reached about Judge Barrett’s qualifications to serve on the Supreme Court,” Collins said. “What I have concentrated on is being fair and consistent, and I do not think it is fair nor consistent to have a Senate confirmation vote prior to the election.”
Democrats have been critical of Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell’s decision to hold a vote on President Trump’s nominee so close to the election, citing his refusal to consider President Barack Obama’s nominee, Judge Merrick Garland, ahead of the 2016 election.
The GOP effort to confirm Barrett largely hinges on three centrist Republicans: Sens. Mitt Romney, Lisa Murkowski, and Collins. The party currently holds a 53-45 majority in the Senate, with two independents who caucus with Democrats.
Romney has already voiced his support for confirming Barrett, while Murkowski opposed holding the vote this close to the election but committed to confirming Barrett in a confirmation vote based on her qualifications.
On Sunday, the Senate voted 51-48 to advance the nomination of Barrett to a final vote to be held on Monday. Democrats unanimously voted against advancing the nomination, joined by Murkowski and Collins.
