Susan Collins and Sara Gideon call for independent judges, but their definitions differ
The Republican senator is facing her most competitive reelection race, narrowly trailing the Democratic challenger in polls. The judiciary is a big reason why, as Collins' 2018 vote for
It has added up to a campaign that will exceed
Collins broke with Trump and her party to oppose any
Collins has pointed to
The controversies reflect the nature of a court that has become more politicized during Collins' 24-year tenure in
Collins contends she has upheld the same standards for judicial nominees throughout her career, regularly voting to confirm qualified nominees from presidents of either party including all six
She supported nearly 94 percent of judicial nominees appointed by Obama, according to records compiled by ProPublica. Under Trump, she has confirmed 94.7 percent, though opponents point out all of the judges she has voted against were appointed since the start of 2019, when the Senate Republican majority grew from two to six seats.
"What we need to do is make the confirmation process less political, more respectful and more insightful," Collins said in a debate last week hosted by WAGM.
Her opponents argue that the president's nominees have made the court more political, pointing to the decision by McConnell to block many of Obama's late-term nominees to leave a slate of open seats when Trump took office in 2017. While Obama filled 334 judicial appointments during eight years, Trump filled 190 in his first three, according to congressional records.
Many of Trump's nominees have engendered little bipartisan support. A handful were deemed unqualified by the
A rare Republican who has expressed support for abortion rights, Collins said in 2018 that she would not vote to confirm a
Collins declined to say on Saturday what she thought of Barrett as a
Though critical of Collins over voting to confirm many of Trump's judicial nominees, Gideon has talked less about her own criteria. She has raised concern about a conservative-leaning court potentially repealing the Affordable Care Act after hearing a case on the issue in November.
Gideon says she would only vote to confirm judges who are qualified -- a dig at Collins over her votes for some judges deemed unqualified by the
The Democrat has also pointed to the issue of precedent, naming Barrett as an example of the kind of nominee she would oppose based on the judge's criticism of the Affordable Care Act.
"What I will look for in a judicial nominee is that they don't come intending to tear something down," Gideon told reporters last week.
Still, she has been skeptical of proposals put forward by other
One independent in the race,
BDN writer
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