Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) believes there is a chance that President Joe Biden’s Supreme Court nominee will win some Republican votes.
Speaking to reporters on Monday, Durbin said he had “spoken and texted to several Republican senators that I think may be open to the idea — no promises made — of considering a Biden nominee for the court.”
“I’m going to continue that outreach on the floor this afternoon and this evening and throughout this week,” he continued. “That’s my goal. I want to make this a bipartisan vote for the filling of this vacancy. It’s not only good for the Supreme Court; it’s good for the Senate.”
Durbin also said he is not concerned that Senate Republicans would try to draw out the confirmation process.
“I think they will accept their constitutional responsibility in the process. There may be one or two dissenters on their side, but most of the senators feel on both sides that this is a moment where we need to do our constitutional duty,” Durbin added.
Biden says he plans to announce his nominee for the court by the end of February.
The Senate is currently divided 50-50, and the nominee will need 51 votes to be confirmed. Vice President Kamala Harris can break a tie on the nomination, which means Democrats likely do not need any Republican votes.
Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) told Fox News on Sunday, “We will review the nominee on her merits. I can’t say that I’ve got wild expectations that Joe Biden is going to nominate someone who I think I can support or many Republicans can support because I’ve seen dozens of his nominees to the lower court.”
“I can say one thing that I won’t do, and I doubt any Republican will do, is engage in the kind of grotesque smear campaigns against the character of fine men like Clarence Thomas, or as we saw what happened with Brett Kavanaugh two years ago,” he added.
Last week, Justice Stephen Breyer announced he will retire at the end of the current term, giving Biden his first chance to nominate a Supreme Court justice.
