The Senate confirmed Judge J. Michelle Childs on Tuesday to the second highest court in the nation, a judge who was rumored to be on President Joe Biden’s shortlist of potential Supreme Court nominees earlier this year.
Fifteen Republicans voted for Childs, a U.S. district judge for South Carolina, who was confirmed in a 64 to 34 vote to the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals. Should the Democrats lose the Senate in the midterm elections this fall, and should Biden have an opportunity to fill a Supreme Court vacancy, she could potentially garner bipartisan support.
“It’s one of the most important votes we’re going to take all this year,” said Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY), according to The Hill. “The D.C. Circuit is so important. It’s probably the second-most important circuit in the country.”
“So loads of decisions particularly those related to government and Congress and balance of power go through the D.C. Circuit,” he added.
Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX), who voted for Childs, noted matter of factly that she could be on a path headed to the Supreme Court.
“It’s a pretty well-established pathway, but obviously it depends on a lot of circumstances we can’t guess about, but it probably doesn’t hurt her,” Cornyn said, The Hill reported.
Lindsey Graham (R-SC), who also voted for Childs, had high praise for her earlier this year as Biden mulled his Supreme Court pick to replace Stephen Breyer. He ultimately went with Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson following pressure from Democratic activists.
While only three Republicans voted for Jackson to join the nation’s highest court in April, Graham had argued he could have won 10 votes for Childs, The Hill reported.
Ultimately, 13 other Republicans aside from Graham and Cornyn voted for Childs on Tuesday, including Sens. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN), Roy Blunt (R-MO), Richard Burr (R-NC), Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV), Susan Collins (R-ME), Chuck Grassley (R-IA), Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), Rob Portman (R-OH), Mitt Romney (R-UT), Mike Rounds (R-SD), Tim Scott (R-SC), Thom Tillis (R-NC), and Todd Young (R-IN).
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