Washington (CNN) Two controversial judicial nominees, who declined to say during their confirmation hearings whether the landmark Supreme Court opinion barring segregation in public schools was correctly decided, were narrowly approved out of the Senate Judiciary Committee on Thursday.

The 11-10 vote, divided down party lines, advances the nominations of Wendy Vitter and Andrew Oldham to the Senate floor.

The vote comes as Senate Judiciary Chairman Chuck Grassley is leading the charge to reshape the face of the judiciary. So far the Senate has confirmed 39 judicial nominees: Neil Gorsuch for the Supreme Court, 21 appeals court nominees and 17 district court judges.

Vitter and Oldham's nominations were vigorously debated at an earlier hearing last week that happened to fall on the 64th anniversary of the release of Brown v. Board of Education.

At her confirmation hearing in April, Sen. Richard Blumenthal, a Connecticut Democrat, asked Vitter about Brown v. Board of Education. Vitter said she didn't mean to be "coy" but that she would get into a "difficult, difficult area when I start commenting on Supreme Court decisions -- which are correctly decided and which I may disagree with."

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