Thom Tillis announced Wednesday that he would be voting against Ketanji Brown Jackson’s nomination to the U.S. Supreme Court, despite her strong qualifications and support across the legal community. Tillis noted that Jackson’s nomination was “historic” but said he was voting no because he was concerned Jackson may “legislate from the bench instead of consistently following the Constitution as written.”
It was, perhaps, not a surprising decision from Tillis. But it was disappointing.
Last week, during Jackson’s confirmation hearings, Tillis appeared ready to provide the kind of leadership North Carolina and his country needs. While his Republican colleagues engaged in a shameful distortions and bizarre questioning of Jackson, Tillis spoke of respecting Jackson’s record, beliefs and work, and said that he would “listen thoroughly and keep an open mind as I do with every nominee before the committee.”
