Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) announced Saturday that she will vote for Amy Coney Barrett’s Supreme Court confirmation after initially being opposed to voting on a nominee before Election Day.
“I have no doubt about her intellect. I have no doubt about Judge Barrett’s judicial temperament. I have no doubt about her capability to do the job,” Murkowski said on the Senate floor, The Hill reported.
“I have concluded that she is the sort of person we want on the Supreme Court,” she added.
Senators Meet With Supreme Court Nominee Amy Coney Barrett
Greg Nash-Pool/Getty Images
However, the Alaska Republican said she will vote against cloture on Barrett’s nomination, which is scheduled to take place on Sunday, explaining that she believes Barrett’s confirmation vote should happen after Election Day.
“While I oppose the process that has led us to this point, I do not hold it against her as an individual who has navigated the gauntlet with grace, skill and humility. I will vote no on the procedural votes ahead of us, but yes to confirm Judge Barrett when the question before us is her qualification to be an associate justice,” Murkowski explained.
Murkowski was one of the final Republican Party votes that remained in limbo.
Murkowski, one of the Republican Party’s most moderate lawmakers, was the only Republican to oppose Brett Kavanaugh’s Supreme Court confirmation in 2018.
According to The Hill, Murkowski’s “yes” vote means Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine), whose Senate career is on life-support, will be the only Republican to oppose Barrett’s confirmation.
As TheBlaze reported, Murkowski initially opposed confirming a new Supreme Court justice prior to the election. However, she later backtracked, saying that she would, in fact, participate in such a vote.
The Senate is expected to vote on Barrett’s nomination sometime early next week. With the Republican majority, that means Barrett will become the newest Supreme Court justice within a matter of days.