Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., said Wednesday he had a "positive and productive" meeting with President Joe Biden's Supreme Court nominee Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson.
"This afternoon I met with Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson to discuss her experience, record and opinions on important issues impacting West Virginians," Manchin said in a statement Wednesday. "We had a positive and productive meeting. I appreciate her willingness to meet with me ahead of her confirmation vote.
"Just as I have with previous nominees, I will closely follow Judge Jackson's nomination hearings before the Senate Judiciary Committee, and will continue to evaluate her qualifications to serve on the Supreme Court of the United States before making a final decision."
Jackson, 51, must get at least 50 votes to be confirmed by the split Senate to serve on the high court, which means the votes of all 48 Democrats and two independents, with Vice President Kamala Harris casting the tiebreaking 51st vote.
Gaining the support of Republicans would make the judge's confirmation easier, but Democrats voted solidly against all three nominees of then-President Donald Trump's nominees. Justice Neil Gorsuch was confirmed 54-45 in 2017, Justice Brett Kavanaugh 50-48 in 2018 and Justice Amy Coney Barrett 52-48 in 2020.
Most nominees have won overwhelming bipartisan support since the Reagan era, with the exceptions of then-President George W. Bush's nomination of Justice Samuel Alito, who received confirmation with a vote of 58-42, Justice Clarence Thomas during the administration of George H.W. Bush, who was confirmed 52-48 in 1991, and the failed nomination of Robert Bork during the administration of President Ronald Reagan in 1987.
Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, which holds the hearings for judicial appointments, is signaling he might oppose Jackson, according to a report from The Hill on Wednesday.
Graham reportedly is upset a Black female judge from his state was not seriously considered by Biden, even though she would get bipartisan support.
"The reason Michelle Childs is not the nominee is because of a concerted effort by the left to take her down and that doesn't sit very well with me," Graham told The Hill. "Here's the point: I was willing to get probably double-digit Republican support for somebody that would have been in the liberal camp from my state. So, they made a political decision to reject bipartisanship and go another way."
Graham voted last year to confirm Jackson on the federal bench but is now saying Biden is caving to "the radical left" by elevating her to the Supreme Court.
Jackson's nomination "means the radical left has won President Biden over yet again," Graham told The Hill.
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