The Senate is gearing up for a vote on Judge Amy Coney Barrett’s confirmation to the Supreme Court, but a Republican senator is revealing she will not be voting in favor of the confirmation.
“When the Senate considers nominees to the United States Supreme Court, it is particularly important that we act fairly and consistently, using the same set of rules, no matter which political party is in power.,” Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) wrote in a statement Sunday evening before noting former President Barack Obama’s nomination of Merrick Garland to the Supreme Court.
She continued, “The standard was established that a nominee to the Court would not be voted on prior to the election in a presidential election year. This year, a vacancy has also occurred, notably much closer to the election.”
The Maine senator declared that “in fairness” to the American people, a Supreme Court nominee to fill the vacancy “should be made by whoever is elected on November 3rd.”
She added that due to the vote occurring prior to the Nov. 3 election, she will vote against Barrett’s nomination, despite Barrett’s qualifications:
“Because this vote is occurring prior to the election, I will vote against the nomination of Judge Amy Coney Barrett. To be clear, my vote does not reflect any conclusion that I have reached about Judge Barrett’s qualifications to serve on the Supreme Court. What I have concentrated on is being fair and consistent, and I do not think it is fair nor consistent to have a Senate confirmation vote prior to the election.”
Her remarks come shortly after Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) revealed over the weekend that she will vote to confirm Barrett.
The Senate, controlled by Republicans, will likely vote to confirm Barrett’s nomination. The vote is expected to occur on Monday evening. This would be the closest to a presidential election that a Supreme Court nominee has been confirmed by the Senate.