Mitch McConnell's Decision on Ketanji Brown Jackson: No

The Senate is on track to confirm Ketanji Brown Jackson as the first Black woman on the Supreme Court in April, with the Wall Street Journal reporting GOP senators signaled on Thursday that they don't intend to make any moves that would seriously delay or block her confirmation. But the makeup of that confirmation is unlikely to be what President Biden hoped for: "a grand reset after partisan battles over other high court nominees," as the AP puts it. That's because Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell on Thursday announced he "cannot and will not" support Jackson's nomination and will vote against it. While his support wasn't expected, NBC News reports other Republicans could soon line up with him, with a party-line vote being a potential outcome.

In remarks from the Senate floor, McConnell said he "went into the Senate process with an open mind, but after studying the nominee’s record and watching her performance this week," he cannot vote for her. He took issue with how Jackson handled the question of court packing—expanding the Supreme Court beyond its nine members. Jackson pointed out that Justice Amy Coney Barrett also refused to take a position on the issue during her own hearing, but McConnell felt Jackson "seemingly actually tipped her hand" by saying "she would be 'thrilled to be one of however many.' However many," McConnell emphasized. The AP notes that the size of the court is in Congress' hands. (More Ketanji Brown Jackson stories.)