The Senate Judiciary Committee, a 22-member panel divided evenly between Democrats and Republicans, is expected to vote on party lines today — 11-11 — barring any unforeseen circumstances.
It’s rare for the Senate Judiciary Committee to tie on a Supreme Court nomination.
But nomination battles have become increasingly contentious, and the current Senate is split 50-50, so there are an even number of Democrats and Republicans on the panel, rather than the majority party holding more seats.
Over the past five decades, the panel has deadlocked once — over Clarence Thomas, who was facing sexual harassment allegations. Fifteen justices —William Rehnquist, John Paul Stevens, Sandra Day O’Connor, Antonin Scalia, Anthony Kennedy, David Souter, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Stephen Breyer, John Roberts, Samuel Alito, Sonia Sotomayor, Elena Kagan, Neil Gorsuch , Brett Kavanaugh and Amy Coney Barrett — passed the committee during that timeframe.
In 1987, Democrats who controlled the committee voted to unfavorably recommend President Ronald Reagan’s nominee Robert Bork on ideological grounds. And in 2020, Democrats boycotted a committee vote on Barrett, arguing that the chamber should not consider President Donald Trump’s lifetime appointment to the court while the country was voting in the presidential election.
In the Trump era, Senate Republicans strengthened the conservatives’ grip on the court from 5-4 to 6-3, after holding up President Barack Obama’s nominee Merrick Garland during another election year — 2016 — and then confirming Gorsuch in 2017, and Coney Barrett in 2020 to replace the late Ginsburg. Jackson’s confirmation would likely replace a liberal — Breyer — with another.
Despite the expected tie vote on Jackson today, there are ways in which the panel or the Senate Democrats in power can still put her nomination to a confirmation vote in the days to come.
If confirmed, Jackson will be the first Black woman to be a Supreme Court justice.
Source : cnn
