Collins has been instrumental in Trump and McConnell’s takeover of the judiciary, and she’s never cast a deciding vote against a Trump judge
Last night, Senator Susan Collins attempted to mislead voters about her record of voting to confirm 95% of Donald Trump’s judicial nominees by pointing to a single example of her voting against a Trump nominated judge from Mitch McConnell’s home state of Kentucky.
But what Senator Collins doesn’t want Mainers to find out is that in 2019 she actually cast the deciding vote to confirm Mitch McConnell protégé Justin Walker to serve as a U.S. District Judge for the Western District of Kentucky despite his vocal opposition to the Affordable Care Act and his rating of “not qualified” from the American Bar Association. After Collins helped him secure a seat on the District Court, Walker was well-positioned to be promoted to the second highest court in the nation.
The truth is that Senator Collins voted to confirm every single judicial nominee that Mitch McConnell brought to the floor in the first two years of Trump’s presidency, including dozens of judges who oppose reproductive rights and several nominees that were rated “not qualified” by the American Bar Association.
Now that she’s up for reelection and feeling the heat from Mainers who are furious about her judicial voting record, she’s gotten a few “hall passes” to vote against Trump nominees when her vote would have no impact on the outcome but she has never cast a deciding vote against a Trump judge. When Mitch McConnell really needs her support to put extreme and unqualified judges on the federal bench, Senator Collins is with him 100% of the time.
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