Ketanji Brown Jackson: PA Sen. Toomey Opposes Supreme Court Nominee

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Ketanji Brown Jackson likely will become the first Black woman to ascend to the U.S. Supreme Court, but she will not have Pennsylvania Sen. Pat Toomey's vote to confirm her.

Toomey announced Sunday he will not vote to approve President Biden's historic nomination of Jackson to the high court. The Senate Judiciary Committee meets today to vote to send the nomination to the entire Senate; the final vote is expected later this week.

“While Judge Jackson undoubtedly has an impressive educational and professional background, her inability to define her own judicial philosophy makes it difficult to understand how she might approach the most important cases facing the nation today, tomorrow, and far into the future," Toomey said in a statement.

"Rather than confine herself to one philosophy, Judge Jackson has only offered a ‘methodology’ that is ultimately unhelpful for determining what her foundation is for interpreting statutory and
Constitutional text."

Pennsylvania's other senator, Bob Casey, will vote to approve Jackson.

"I am honored to support her nomination," he said in a recent statement. "This is a historic nomination and will bring us one step closer in having our institutions better reflect the diversity of our nation."

Toomey is retiring at the end of the year. Republicans Dr. Mehmet Oz and former hedge fund manager David McCormick are leading in the polls for the GOP nomination to succeed him.

Lieutenant Gov. John Fetterman leads in the polls for the Democratic nomination.

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