WASHINGTON — The Democratic-controlled Senate plans to move forward on Monday with the Supreme Court nomination of Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson after a tie vote in committee.
The Judiciary Committee deadlocked on a party-line vote of 11 to 11 with all Democrats voting yes and all Republicans voting no.
The tie means Jackson is stuck in committee until the full Senate votes to pull her nomination out of the panel and begin floor debate.
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer made plans to do that on Monday, with the chamber expected to vote shortly after. A final vote on the nomination is expected later in the week.
The committee vote was delayed for several hours after the flight of Sen. Alex Padilla, D-Calif., was sent back to Los Angeles. He took a different flight and arrived later for the vote.
Senate Judiciary Chair Dick Durbin, D-Ill., slammed some unnamed Republicans for making “discredited claims” against Jackson during the recent hearings.
“She stayed calm and collected. She showed dignity, grace and poise,” Durbin said before the committee vote, praising Jackson as “extremely well qualified with a brilliant legal mind with the utmost character and integrity.”
Most Republicans said they could not support Jackson due to her “judicial philosophy.” Some also complained about her sentencing record in child exploitation cases.
If confirmed, Jackson would be the first Black women to serve on the Supreme Court.
“A historic step has been taken today. As the Supreme Court is slated to consider cases that will impact everything from climate change to voting and reproductive rights, representation is of utmost importance,” NAACP General Counsel Janette McCarthy Wallace said. “Ketanji Brown Jackson is highly qualified to serve on the Supreme Court and her voice is more important now than ever.”