WASHINGTON — The Senate voted 50–48 to confirm Brett Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court Saturday, the narrowest vote on a Supreme Court nomination in 137 years.



The confirmation is a major victory for Republicans after sexual assault allegations against Kavanaugh threatened to sink his nomination in recent weeks. His appointment could move the top court to the right for a generation.

It was the most heated and controversial confirmation in recent memory, with hundreds of people protesting in the halls of the Senate over the last two weeks as well as outside the Capitol and the Supreme Court on Saturday. During the vote, several protesters started screaming and shouting from the gallery down toward the senators on the floor before being escorted out. Some chanted “I do not consent” as the vote got underway.

Only James Garfield’s nominee Stanley Matthews, who was confirmed by a 24–23 record in 1881, had a tighter nomination victory than Kavanaugh. “I always thought landslides were kind of boring anyway,” a jubilant Republican Majority Leader Mitch McConnell told reporters after the vote.

Only two senators broke with their parties on the nomination. Sen. Joe Manchin of West Virginia was the only Democrat to vote for Kavanaugh. Sen. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska was the sole Republican to oppose him; however, she was officially marked as “present” rather than a no.

This is because she “paired” her vote with Republican Sen. Steve Daines, who would have voted yes but was in Montana Saturday for his daughter’s wedding. By voting present, Murkowski removed one no vote to match his missing yes vote. Daines was prepared to fly back to DC, so the only real-world effect of Murkowski’s move was to allow him to stay at the wedding. Had they both voted, the outcome would have been unchanged, but the final tally would have been 51–49 in favor of confirmation.

Just after Manchin voted yes, two women who said they are survivors of sexual assault yelled, “Shame on you. How dare you prioritize him over us,” as Manchin looked up and made eye contact with them.

Vice President Mike Pence was on hand for the vote, though he was not needed to break a tie. Pence made the final announcement that Kavanaugh will now be the next Supreme Court justice.

Kavanaugh’s confirmation could mark a significant shift to the right for the Supreme Court. He replaces Justice Anthony Kennedy, widely seen as the swing vote on the court, who retired in June. With the court being made up of four reliable conservative-leaning justices, and four liberal-leaning justices, Kennedy often played the role of tie-breaker.

Shortly after the vote Saturday, Kavanaugh was sworn in as a justice, taking two oaths — a constitutional oath administered by Chief Justice John Roberts, and a judicial oath administered by Kennedy. The court is next set to hear cases at 10 a.m. Tuesday, and Kavanaugh is expected to be on the bench.

