NC’s Tillis believes Jackson is well-qualified but won’t vote to confirm her

Sen. Thom Tillis said Wednesday that Supreme Court nominee Ketanji Brown Jackson is impressive and well-qualified, but he won’t support her.

In a news release, Tillis said he plans to vote against her confirmation both in a committee and on the Senate floor out of concerns that Jackson might try to legislate from the bench.

Democrats narrowly control the Senate and are expected to be able to confirm Jackson. Republican Sen. Susan Collins announced Wednesday she plans to support her. If the Senate confirms her, that would help President Joe Biden, who nominated Jackson, to fulfill his campaign promise to put a Black woman on the U.S. Supreme Court.

Tillis, a Republican from North Carolina, is one of 22 senators who sits on the Judiciary Committee and was able to question Jackson last week about her credentials, qualifications and background.

Tillis said despite believing Jackson is qualified, two concerns stood out to him.

One is that she would be an activist judge. In the confirmation hearing last week, Tillis told Jackson he didn’t want an activist from either party on the Supreme Court.

“I don’t want an activist at either end of the spectrum,” Tillis said.

He also voiced concerns in his news release that Jackson didn’t take a position on adding additional justices to the Supreme Court, also known as court packing. He told her during Wednesday’s hearing that he was concerned she wouldn’t offer her opinion.

“This is serious stuff,” Tillis said.

He told Jackson during the confirmation hearings that a partisan group had been pushing to add justices to the Supreme Court in an attempt to push partisan agendas. He told her adding justices would be acceptable to deal with the size of the court’s caseload but not for partisan politics.

Last week, Tillis largely praised Jackson even as other Republicans grilled her, and didn’t give away how he would vote.

“I thought you presented yourself well when there was a lot of pressure, and that demonstrates a certain temperament and poise,” Tillis said last week. “I can’t imagine what’s going on inside your head, but at least overtly, you did very well and you should be proud of that. It’s not an easy thing.”

On Wednesday, after confirming he would follow his party’s lead, Tillis wished Jackson and her family well as she continues her life of public service.

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