Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) said Friday that he will vote in support of confirming Ketanji Brown Jackson to the Supreme Court.
Why it matters: Manchin's support essentially guarantees Jackson's confirmation.
The big picture: While there are some Republican senators who have yet to say whether they will vote in favor of Jackson, if they decide not to, Democrats can confirm her with a party-line vote and Vice President Kamala Harris as the tiebreaker.
- Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) said Thursday that he will vote "no."
- McConnell said that Jackson deflected questions on judicial philosophy and that he could not support her because she is backed by groups that advocate for court-packing.
"After meeting with [Jackson], considering her record, and closely monitoring her testimony and questioning before the Senate Judiciary Committee this week, I have determined I intend to vote for her nomination to serve on the Supreme Court," Manchin said.
- "Her wide array of experiences in varying sectors of our judicial system have provided Judge Jackson a unique perspective that will serve her well on our nation’s highest court," he added.
- "I am confident Judge Jackson is supremely qualified and has the disposition necessary to serve as our nation’s next Supreme Court Justice."
What to watch: Senate Judiciary Committee Chair Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) announced this week that Jackson's nomination will be considered at a markup vote on March 28.
- However, under Senate rules, any committee vote can be "held over" for one week, making the committee's actual vote on April 4.
Go deeper: The Senate's Supreme Court charade
