Democrats appear united on Jackson; GOP votes may be elusive

WASHINGTON — Sen. Joe Manchin announced Friday that he plans to vote for Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson to serve on the Supreme Court, likely clearing the path for President Joe Biden’s historic nominee to be confirmed. But Democratic hopes of securing significant Republican support for Jackson’s nomination appear to be fading.

The West Virginia Democrat was a key vote to watch because he has bucked his party on some of its top domestic priorities. But he has yet to vote against any of Biden’s judicial nominees, and he said he will also support Jackson, who would become the first Black woman to serve on the Supreme Court.

“I am confident Judge Jackson is supremely qualified and has the disposition necessary to serve as our nation’s next Supreme Court Justice,” Manchin said in a statement, which came after four days of hearings in the Senate Judiciary Committee.

He also noted that her family has spent time in West Virginia, and “her deep love of our state and commitment to public service were abundantly clear.”

Manchin’s announcement indicates that Jackson will likely have the support of all 50 Senate Democrats. Arizona Sen. Kyrsten Sinema, who has joined Manchin in voting against large swaths of Biden’s domestic agenda, hasn’t yet said whether she will support her. But she too has supported all of the president’s judicial picks, including Jackson for the federal appeals court last year.

A united Democratic caucus would guarantee Jackson’s confirmation in the 50-50 Senate, as Vice President Kamala Harris could break a tie. Still, Democrats seem unlikely to confirm her with a robust bipartisan vote, dashing Biden’s hopes for a grand reset after partisan battles over other high court nominees.

On Thursday, just hours after the hearings came to a close, Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell said in a Senate floor speech that he “cannot and will not” support Jackson for a lifetime appointment.

McConnell slammed the liberal groups that have supported Jackson, and he criticized her for refusing to take a position on the size of the nine-member court, even though that decision is ultimately up to Congress.

Some advocacy groups have pushed for enlarging the court after three justices nominated by former President Donald Trump cemented a 6-3 conservative majority.

He also cited concerns about Jackson’s sentencing of criminal defendants, a subject that dominated much of the four days of hearings and was part of a coordinated GOP effort to portray her as soft on crime.

McConnell’s position was expected, but the leader’s quick declaration could prompt many of his fellow Republicans to follow suit, thwarting Biden’s efforts to bring back the overwhelming bipartisan votes that were commonplace for Supreme Court nominees when he first came to the Senate five decades ago.

“I think whomever I pick will get a vote from the Republican side,” Biden said after Justice Stephen Breyer announced he would step down from the court this summer.

As he started his search for a replacement, the president made a point of inviting Republican senators to the White House to hear their advice.