Murkowski to vote ‘present’ on Kavanaugh so Daines can attend daughter’s wedding

Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh’s confirmation was roiled by allegations from several women that he had sexually assaulted him decades ago, when he was in high school or college with them.

A dramatic and draining showdown that held Washington in thrall for weeks finally moved toward resolution when Maine Sen.

After weeks of intense debate that has gripped the nation, the conservative appeals court judge won vows of support yesterday from two centrist senators, leaving no clear path in the Senate for Mr Kavanaugh’s opponents to block him.

In her announcement on October 13, 2017, in Rockport, she said she would stay in the US Senate because she wanted “to continue to play a key role”.

“So that public confidence in our judiciary and our highest court is restored”.

Two Republican “no” votes could sink the nomination. Jeff Flake said he would back Kavanaugh.

Senate Republican Susan Collins affirmed in a closely-watched floor speech that she will vote for the conservative jurist nominated by President Donald Trump, and moments later Democrat Joe Manchin broke ranks to announce his own backing.

One lone Republican, Sen.

Republican Senator Susan Collins, a potential key swing vote, said before the procedural vote that she would announce her final decision on Kavanaugh confirmation on Friday afternoon.

The vote is expected at about 17:00 local time (21:00 GMT). That vote could take place as early as Saturday. Trump has come down firmly on the other side – saying he’s anxious the movement is unfairly targeting men. The decision may have further eroded the GOP’s already shaky status among women voters.

Republican Iowa Senator Chuck Grassley stops to speak briefly with the media at US Capitol on 3 October 2018.

It has the ultimate say on such contentious issues as abortion and gun control.

Even so, Collins said she hopes the ugly fight over Kavanaugh’s confirmation will raise awareness of the pervasiveness of sexual assault.

“It would really undercut the process of confirmation and introduce a new level of McCarthyism into the process”, he said. “The allegations fail to meet the more likely than not standard”. But Kavanaugh’s backers said the Federal Bureau of Investigation did not find evidence to corroborate Ford’s accusations.

“I believe he’s a good man”.

Senators then endured a rare all-night session to satisfy the requirement of 30 hours of debate following Friday’s vote.

“After going through all those difficulties, the members of the court were just wonderful people to a person”, Thomas said in an appearance at the Library of Congress earlier this year. More than 300 have been arrested in anti-Kavanaugh protests this week in the nation’s capital.

Calling for a “a careful examination of the accusations and facts by the FBI” does not equate to believing “Kavanaugh is unfit for the Supreme Court” as the tweet claims.

Confirmation would hand Trump a clear victory and tip the balance on the court to a 5-4 majority in favor of conservatives in possible legal battles ahead over contentious issues such as abortion rights, immigration, and Trump’s attempt to ban transgender people from the US military. “We must always remember that it is when passions are most inflamed that fairness is most in jeopardy”.

His promotion to the Supreme Court will also stand as a demoralizing defeat for Democrats who battled hard to block the 53-year-old judge at all costs.

“I take this obligation.as seriously as anything that I am obligated and privileged to vote on”.

After a flurry of last-minute negotiations, the Senate Judiciary Committee advanced Brett Kavanaugh’s nomination for the Supreme Court after agreeing to a late call from Sen. Lisa Murkowski turned against Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh quietly, uttering a single word: “No”. “I might have been too emotional at times”.

“This is going to make the court seem more political, and I think that’s risky because the legitimacy of the court turns on the belief that law is distinct from politics”, said Ernest Young, a conservative law professor at Duke University.