GOP moderates send message on Supreme Court
by Alexander Bolton - 04/06/22 6:00 AM ET
By breaking with Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) over Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson, three Republican moderates sent a clear message that they aren’t happy about how partisan Supreme Court confirmation proceedings have become.
Sens. Lisa Murkowski (Alaska), Susan Collins (Maine) and Mitt Romney (Utah) firmly rejected the tactics of more conservative colleagues on the Senate Judiciary Committee, who grilled Jackson during her confirmation hearings and accused her of being soft on child pornography offenders.
Murkowski told reporters that she thought colleagues such as Sens. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) and Ted Cruz (R-Texas) went too far in challenging Jackson to defend her record, though she didn’t mention anyone by name.
“Some were not super great,” she said. “I think there was a level of personal attack that was unwarranted.”
All three centrist Republicans have raised concerns about how Supreme Court confirmation debates have become partisan food fights.
Collins said she hopes her vote for the nominee will help lower the partisan temperature of the Senate confirmation process.
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https://thehill.com/news/senate/3260061-gop-moderates-send-message-on-supreme-court/