Despite the fervent opposition of Georgia Sens. Johnny Isakson and Saxby Chambliss, Elena Kagan’s confirmation as the next justice of the U.S. Supreme Court has been assured.
One of Isakson’s Republican colleagues from Maine, Sen. Olympia Snowe, has announced she will vote for Kagan’s confirmation. She is the fourth Republican senator – the others are Lindsey Graham, Susan Collins, and Richard Lugar – to say they will vote for Kagan.
The support of those four Republican senators means that Isakson, Chambliss, and the rest of the GOP caucus won’t be able to block a confirmation vote through a filibuster — as they were able to do on extensions of Medicaid funding and unemployment benefits. With four Republican votes in hand, Democrats are assured of having more than the 60 votes that would be needed to break a filibuster.
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid indicated the Senate will hold the confirmation vote next week, although he may want to be a little more careful about his choice of words. Reid said to reporters: “We’re going to do Kagan before we leave.”
