Senator Collins claims that she opposes any vote on Judge Amy Coney Barrett's nomination until after the presidential election on procedural grounds—but just yesterday, she voted to move the nomination forward. When Senator Collins’ key ally Mitch McConnell broke Senate rules to jam through Barrett's nomination, Senator Collins voted to back him up and move Barrett’s nomination forward.
Helping Mitch McConnell ram through extreme judicial nominees is nothing new for Senator Collins. For the last four years, she’s been the linchpin in the right wing takeover of the federal judiciary:
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Without Senator Collins’ support, Mitch McConnell and Donald Trump’s transformation of courts across the country — including the Supreme Court — would not have been possible. Since Donald Trump took office, Senator Collins has voted to support 181 of his judicial nominees.
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In 2017 and 2018, Senator Collins voted to confirm every single one of Trump’s judicial nominees — including several that were rated “not qualified” by the American Bar Association.
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Senator Collins has voted to confirm dozens of far-right judges that put Mainers’ health care and rights at risk.
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Senator Collins has never cast a deciding vote against a Trump judge.
"Yesterday’s vote is just the latest evidence that Susan Collins will always enable Donald Trump and Mitch McConnell's crusade to stack federal benches with radical, unqualified judges," said Maine Democratic Party Chair Kathleen Marra. "Even when Senator Collins gets a hall pass and claims to oppose a nomination, she still votes to enable McConnell. With health care on the ballot and the future of the Affordable Care Act at stake, Maine needs a Senator who will never back down from doing what's right. We need Sara Gideon."
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