缅因州参议员苏珊·科林斯计划支持确认凯坦吉·布朗·杰克逊法官成为最高法院的助理法官，被提名者的第一个共和党支持者。

“在审查了法官凯坦吉·布朗·杰克逊的大量记录，观看了她的大部分听证证词，并与她本人见了两次面之后，我得出结论，她拥有担任最高法院助理法官的经验、资格和正直。因此，我将投票支持她，”温和的共和党人柯林斯在周三的一份声明中说，他经常被视为司法提名的摇摆人。

周二晚上，柯林斯与杰克逊进行了第二次会面，在闭门会谈一个多小时后，这位参议员出现了，称这次会面“有益且富有成效”，并补充说杰克逊“澄清了一些问题”，并指出其中一些问题包括法官的问题对儿童色情罪犯的判刑作为一名联邦公设辩护人，她代表关塔那摩湾的被拘留者。

卡罗琳·卡斯特/美联社

参议员苏珊·科林斯会见最高法院提名人凯坦吉·布朗·杰克森..

“在我与杰克逊法官的会面中，我们深入讨论了她在听证会上提出的几个问题。有时我同意她的观点;有时我没有，”柯林斯继续说。“正如我不同意她迄今为止的一些决定一样，我毫不怀疑，如果杰克逊法官得到确认，我不会同意她作为大法官所投的每一票。然而，仅凭这一点并不能取消资格。”

周三的宣布对总统乔·拜登来说是一个关键的胜利，他从一开始就设定了目标获得两党支持对于他的提名人，谁将是第一个在高等法院占有一席之地的黑人女性。

《纽约时报》是第一个报告发展。

一些共和党人，在上周超过23小时的听证会上，对被提名者有异议她在一份法律简报中指责乔治·w·布什总统和国防部长唐纳德·拉姆斯菲尔德犯有“战争罪”，并对9·11事件后拘留一些恐怖主义嫌疑人的做法提出质疑，但杰克逊当时表示，她是以官方身份而非个人身份提名这两人的。后来，在类似的拘留挑战中，这些文件将带有总统巴拉克·奥巴马和国防部长罗伯特·盖茨的名字。

共和党人，由参议员乔希·霍利领导。，还质疑杰克逊的判决儿童色情罪犯在一些最具爆炸性的指控的诉讼。少数罪犯从杰克逊那里获得了低于联邦指导原则的判决，但刑期高于缓刑监督官建议的刑期，使她成为司法行动的主流。然而，特别是在一个案例中，杰克逊的刑期低于缓刑监督官推荐的刑期。

致力于杰克逊提名的白宫团队表示，他们希望获得更多共和党人的支持，但共和党高级助手表示，如果这种支持超过法官在她过去的提名中获得的支持，他们会感到惊讶。柯林斯最近在哥伦比亚特区巡回上诉法院支持杰克逊，还有南卡罗来纳州共和党参议员林赛·格拉汉姆和阿拉斯加州共和党参议员莉萨·穆尔科斯基。

但这一次，杰克逊似乎不会得到格雷厄姆的支持，尽管这位参议员表示，他将很快宣布最终决定。这位南卡罗来纳州的共和党人——司法委员会的高级成员——在“战争罪”的认定上与她有分歧，称这对他来说是“一座太远的桥”。在一次激烈的交锋中，他还抨击了杰克逊，因为他没有对儿童色情罪犯“严惩不贷”。

穆尔科斯基周二表示，她更专注于纪念她已故的阿拉斯加同事众议员唐·杨的服务。穆尔科斯基也支持杰克逊上诉法院。

所有的目光都集中在犹他州共和党参议员米特·罗姆尼身上，他在周二与杰克逊进行了长达一小时的谈话。

尽管他被视为共和党的可能支持者，但参议院司法委员会成员、北卡罗来纳州参议员托姆·蒂利斯周三宣布，他打算投票反对杰克逊的确认。

他指出了她的提名的历史性，并表示他对她的知识和听证会期间的冷静“印象深刻”,但他指出，他“仍然持有我最初的担忧，即她可能会从法官席开始立法，而不是始终如一地遵循宪法。”

蒂利斯在一份声明中说:“我也很失望，她不愿意采取坚定的公开立场，反对自由主义的、黑暗的金钱法庭包装计划，这是对联邦司法独立的根本威胁，尽管其他法官如鲁斯·巴德·金斯伯格和斯蒂芬·布雷耶都这样做了。”

同样在司法小组的爱荷华州参议员查克·格拉斯利尚未宣布他将如何投票，并表示他仍在审查听证会和支持材料。

司法委员会预计将在周一上午对提名进行投票，这将使杰克逊有望在下周末得到确认。如果她没有获得格拉斯利的支持，也没有在委员会陷入僵局，民主党领导层可以迫使委员会放弃提名，并在本周末之前获得参议院的全面确认投票。

GOP's Susan Collins to vote for Ketanji Brown Jackson for Supreme Court

Sen. Susan Collins of Maine plans to support the confirmation ofJudge Ketanji Brown Jacksonto be an associate justice of the Supreme Court, the nominee's first GOP supporter.

"After reviewing Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson's extensive record, watching much of her hearing testimony, and meeting with her twice in person, I have concluded that she possesses the experience, qualifications, and integrity to serve as an Associate Justice on the Supreme Court. I will, therefore, vote to confirm her to this position," Collins, a moderate Republican often seen as a swing vote for judicial nominations, said in a statement on Wednesday.

Collins met for a second time with Jackson on Tuesday night, and after more than an hour behind closed doors, the senator emerged calling the meeting "useful and productive," adding that Jackson "provided clarification on some of the issues," and indicating that some of those included the judge'ssentencing of child porn offendersand her representation -- as a federal public defender -- of Guantanamo Bay detainees.

"In my meetings with Judge Jackson, we discussed in depth several issues that were raised in her hearing. Sometimes I agreed with her; sometimes I did not," continued Collins. "And just as I have disagreed with some of her decisions to date, I have no doubt that, if Judge Jackson is confirmed, I will not agree with every vote that she casts as a Justice. That alone, however, is not disqualifying."

The announcement Wednesday was a crucial win for President Joe Biden, who set a goal from the outset ofsecuring bipartisan supportfor his nominee, who would be the first Black woman to take a seat on the high court.

The New York Times was the first toreportthe development.

Some Republicans, at the more than 23 hours of hearings last week,took issue with the nomineeaccusing President George W. Bush and Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld of "war crimes" as she challenged in a legal brief the detention of some terrorism suspects post-Sept. 11, but Jackson said at the time she was naming the two men in their official capacity, not personally. Later, in similar detention challenges, those documents would bear the name of President Barack Obama and Defense Secretary Robert Gates.

Republicans, led by Sen Josh Hawley, R-Mo., also challenged Jackson's sentencing of child porn offenders in some of the most explosive allegations of the proceedings. A handful of offenders received sentences below federal guidelines from Jackson, but the prison terms were above those recommended by the probation officer, putting her in the mainstream of judicial action. One case, in particular, though, saw a Jackson sentence below that recommended by the probation officer.

The White House team working on Jackson's nomination has indicated they hope to secure the support of more Republicans, but senior GOP aides have indicated they would be surprised if that support was more than the judge received for her past nominations. Collins supported Jackson more recently for the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals, along with Sens. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., and Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska.

But this time around, it does not appear Jackson will get Graham's support, though the senator has said he will announce a final decision soon. The South Carolina Republican -- a senior member of the Judiciary Committee -- took issue with her over the "war crimes" designation, saying that was "a bridge too far" for him. He also laid into Jackson, in one fiery exchange, for not "throwing the book" at child pornography offenders.

Murkowski on Tuesday said she was more focused on the services honoring her late-Alaska colleague, Rep. Don Young. Murkowski also supported Jackson for the appeals court.

And all eyes are on Sen. Mitt Romney, R-Utah, who sat down with Jackson on Tuesday for an hour-long conversation.

Though he was seen as a possible Republican supporter, Sen. Thom Tillis of North Carolina, who serves on the Senate Judiciary Committee, announced Wednesday that he intends to vote against Jackson's confirmation.

He noted the historic nature of her nomination and said he was "impressed" with her knowledge and composure during the hearings -- but he noted that he "still hold(s) my initial concerns that she may legislate from the bench instead of consistently following the Constitution as written."

"I am also disappointed that she is reluctant to take a firm public stand against a liberal, dark money court-packing scheme that represents a fundamental threat to the independence of the federal judiciary, even though other justices like Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Stephen Breyer have done so," Tillis said in a statement.

Sen. Chuck Grassley of Iowa, also on the Judiciary panel, has yet to announce how he will vote and has said he is still reviewing the hearings and support material.

The Judiciary Committee is expected to vote on the nomination Monday morning, putting Jackson on track to be confirmed by the end of next week. If she does not get the support of Grassley and deadlocks in committee, Democratic leadership can move to force the nomination out of committee and still get to a full Senate confirmation vote by week's end.