Manchin Backs Jackson as Democrats Unite Behind Confirmation
The support of the centrist from West Virginia shows that Democrats are unifying behind Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson’s nomination in the face of strong Republican opposition.
“Judge Jackson’s record and career are exemplary,” Senator Joe Manchin III, Democrat of West Virginia, said in a statement on Friday
WASHINGTON — Senator Joe Manchin III said on Friday that he would vote to confirm Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson for the Supreme Court, signaling that Democrats are uniting behind her after a
bruising set of hearings that showed deep opposition by Republicans.
The backing of Mr. Manchin, a centrist Democrat from West Virginia and a crucial swing vote, appeared to all but ensure Judge Jackson’s confirmation. Mr. Manchin’s support was critical, since all 50 Senate Democrats may be needed to approve her nomination, given that few if any Republicans appear ready to support her in a vote that Democrats hope to hold early next month.
Mr. Manchin had previously said that he would be willing to support a Biden administration nominee with a more liberal perspective than his, but he had not specifically said he would vote for Judge Jackson until he dispelled any question of his intentions with a statement on Friday.
“After meeting with her, considering her record, and closely monitoring her testimony and questioning before the Senate Judiciary Committee this week, I have determined I intend to vote for her nomination to serve on the Supreme Court,” Mr. Manchin said.
Some conservatives tried to put pressure on him to oppose Judge Jackson, pointing to what they claimed was a record of leniency in
sentencing child sex offenders and charging that she was a liberal activist on abortion rights — which Mr. Manchin opposes — transgender rights and matters of race. But Democrats and others debunked the sentencing claims as distorted, and Mr. Manchin seemed to dismiss them as well.
“Judge Jackson’s record and career are exemplary,” he said. “Her wide array of experiences in varying sectors of our judicial system have provided Judge Jackson a unique perspective that will serve her well on our nation’s highest court.”
Democratic colleagues in the Senate had anticipated that Mr. Manchin would get behind President Biden’s Supreme Court pick, but several said this week that they had not heard from him definitively and were awaiting his decision. Mr. Manchin’s opposition could have potentially derailed the nomination, as it did this month when he blocked the appointment of
Sarah Bloom Raskin to the Federal Reserve.
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Manchin Backs Jackson as Democrats Unite Behind Confirmation - The New York Times (nytimes.com)