Augusta, Maine – In case you missed it, Susan Collins voted to confirm a judge who “urged the Supreme Court to overturn Roe v. Wade and return it to the ‘dustbin of history’” to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit.

Maine Beacon: Collins backs anti-choice judge Jennifer Mascott for federal appeals court
By Channa Steinmetz
October 15, 2025

• The U.S. Senate this past Thursday confirmed Jennifer Mascott, a former clerk for Supreme Court Justices Brett Kavanaugh and Clarence Thomas, to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit — with support from Maine Sen. Susan Collins.

• Mascott, a conservative legal scholar and Trump nominee, has drawn strong opposition from reproductive rights advocates. She previously urged the Supreme Court to overturn Roe v. Wade and return it to the “dustbin of history,” later praising the Dobbs decision that did just that. In 2021, Mascott testified before the Senate Judiciary Committee defending the Court’s decision to leave in place Texas’ abortion ban, which allows private citizens to sue anyone who helps someone obtain an abortion.

• Collins’ vote to confirm Mascott prompted immediate backlash from Democrats in Maine.

• “Time and again, Collins has supported anti-choice judicial nominees who pose a clear threat to women’s reproductive freedom – including her pivotal votes to confirm Justice Kavanaugh that led to the overturning of Roe v. Wade,” said Maine Democratic Party spokesperson Tommy Garcia.

• The Senate confirmed Mascott in a 50-47 vote, further shifting the Third Circuit Court of Appeals to the right. Delaware’s senior senator, Chris Coons, criticized the nomination as “norm-shattering,” noting that Mascott’s only connection to the state she will now represent on the bench is a beach house she owns there.