Susan Collins, a US senator from Maine, on Wednesday became the first Republican to declare support for President Joe Biden's Supreme Court nominee Ketanji Brown Jackson, further boosting her prospects of becoming the first black woman to serve on the top US judicial body.
Ms Collins, considered a moderate Republican, disclosed her intention to vote in the Senate to confirm the federal appellate judge in a statement released by her office.
The senator said she reviewed Ms Jackson's record, watched her testify during her Senate Judiciary Committee confirmation hearing last week and met her twice in person, and concluded the judge possesses the "experience, qualifications and integrity" to serve in the lifetime post.
Ms Collins lamented what she called a disturbing trend of politicising the judicial nomination process.
"No matter where you fall on the ideological spectrum, anyone who has watched several of the last Supreme Court confirmation hearings would reach the conclusion that the process is broken," she said.
"In my view, the role the Constitution clearly assigns to the Senate is to examine the experience, qualifications, and integrity of the nominee. It is not to assess whether a nominee reflects the ideology of an individual senator or would rule exactly as an individual senator would want," Ms Collins added.
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, a Democrat, said last week the chamber was "on track" to confirm Ms Jackson to the life-time job before its expected break for Easter on April 8.
Joe Manchin, the most conservative Democrat in the Senate, announced last Friday that he would vote to confirm her, signalling that she will have the votes to overcome widespread Republican opposition.
With a simple majority needed for confirmation and the Senate divided 50-50 between the parties, Ms Jackson will get the job if Democrats remain united regardless of how the Republicans vote.
Her confirmation would not alter the court's ideological balance - it has a 6-3 conservative majority - but would let Mr Biden freshen its liberal bloc with a 51-year-old jurist young enough to serve for decades. The Democratic president nominated Ms Jackson last month to the lifetime post to succeed retiring liberal Justice Stephen Breyer.
During her confirmation hearing, several Republican senators accused Ms Jackson of being lenient on sentencing child pornography offenders when she served as a trial court judge. Ms Jackson defended her sentencing record, and American Bar Association witnesses rejected the allegations that she was "soft on crime".
-
Ketanji Brown Brown Jackson was nominated by President Joe Biden to replace Justice Steven Breyer, whom she clerked for when she was fresh out of Harvard Law School. Reuters -
Ketanji Brown Jackson speaks after President Joe Biden announced her as his nominee to the Supreme Court. AP -
Stacey Abrams is a leading figure in the US voting rights movement. AP -
Musician Dave Matthews greets voting rights activist Stacey Abrams during a get-out-the-vote rally. Getty Images / AFP -
Rochelle Walensky, director of the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), is one of the most influential women in health care in the US and the face of government's campaign against Covid-19. AP -
Rochelle Walensky, director of the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) speaks before the Senate Health, Education, Labour and Pensions Committee in Washington. EPA -
Meghan Markle, Duchess of Sussex, last year called for the US to provide paid family leave, confessing in an open letter to congressional leaders to feeling overwhelmed by the arrival of her daughter. AFP -
Queen Elizabeth II sits with Meghan Markle, Duchess of Sussex, an advocate for family rights. Getty Images -
US President Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden hold hands as they walk to board Marine One. Reuters -
First lady Jill Biden said on International Women's Day: 'Women have never been silent, but women have been silenced. That’s because our voices are powerful.' AP -
First lady Jill Biden welcomes school children to the White House in Washington to celebrate Valentine's Day. AP -
Nusrat Jahan Choudhury could potentially be the first Muslim-American woman to serve on the US federal bench. Photo: Nusrat Jahan Choudhury -
American Civil Liberties Union lawyer Nusrat Choudhury speaks at a news conference in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Milwaukee Journal Sentinel via AP -
USAID chief Samantha Power speaks during a press conference in Sarajevo, Bosnia. AP -
USAID chief Samantha Power plays the Sri Lankan bat and ball game called Elle with girls at Osmaniay College in Jaffna. AFP -
Frances Haugen gained international prominence when she became a whistleblower against Facebook. AP -
Former Facebook employee and whistleblower Frances Haugen speaks before a Senate Committee on Commerce. The Washington Post via AP -
Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines speaks before the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence in Washington. AP -
Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines arrives on Capitol Hill. EPA -
Tahera Rahman made history by being the first TV news reporter to wear the hijab on air back in 2018. Photo: Tahera Rahman -
Reporter Tahera Rahman preparing for a live shot in Texas. Photo: Tahera Rahman -
Soledad O'Brien, centre, accepts an award for documentary series 'Black and Missing' at the 37th Film Independent Spirit Awards. Invision / AP
