Donald Trump’s Supreme Court nominee, Judge Brett Kavanaugh, told Republican Sen. Susan Collins he agreed that Roe v. Wade is settled law, Collins told reporters Tuesday.
“We talked about whether he considered Roe to be settled law. He said that he agreed with what Justice Roberts said at his nomination hearing in which he said it was settled law,” Collins said after meeting with Kavanaugh for more than two hours on Tuesday.
Collins, the much-watched senator from Maine, is considered a key vote in Kavanaugh’s nomination. Collins told reporters that she would not announce how she would vote on Kavanaugh’s nomination until after his confirmation hearing, which begins September 4.
In addition to abortion, Collins said she talked extensively with Kavanaugh about his philosophy on executive power, judicial philosophy, judges he admired and more.
“Judge Kavanaugh and I had an excellent session. It was very productive, it was very informative. We covered a wide range of issues,” Collins said.
Sen. Lisa Murkowski, a Republican from Alaska and another key swing vote, responded with a firm “no” when asked if she has seen anything in Kavanaugh’s record she considers disqualifying.
Murkowski and Collins are considered the only GOP senators who might vote against the judge. If they support him, Republicans can confirm Kavanaugh without any votes from Democrats.
Ashley Killough and Casey Riddle contributed to this report.