How Senate voted on Supreme Court nominees

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The Senate has voted on 26 Supreme Court nominees since President Lyndon Johnson took office in the 1960s, confirming 23 and rejecting three. An additional four nominees were withdrawn during that period, and the Senate declined to act on one nominee, Merrick B. Garland.

The bar chart below shows the winning and losing margins for most of those votes. Not charted are the confirmation of Abe Fortas in 1965, which was done by a voice vote, and the initial nomination of John G. Roberts Jr. to replace Sandra Day O'Connor. That nomination was superseded weeks later when Roberts was nominated instead to become chief justice to replace William Rehnquist. Nominations announced but never formally submitted to the Senate are not included. All votes appear in the table at the bottom.

Read more about Ketanji Brown Jackson's confirmation here.

Winning or losing margin in the Senate

  • Confirmed
  • Rejected
  • (Blank lines indicate nomination withdrawn or no action was taken.)

Details on the votes

Nominee nominated_by to_replace nominated vote result margin Result date note
Nominee Ketanji Brown Jackson nominated_by Biden [D] to_replace Breyer nominated 02/25/2022 vote 53-47 result Confirmed margin 6 Result date 04/07/2022 note
Nominee Amy Coney Barrett nominated_by Trump [R] to_replace Bader Ginsburg nominated 09/26/2020 vote 52-48 result Confirmed margin 4 Result date 10/26/2020 note
Nominee Brett M. Kavanaugh nominated_by Trump [R] to_replace Kennedy nominated 07/09/2018 vote 50-48 result Confirmed margin 2 Result date 10/06/2018 note
Nominee Neil M. Gorsuch nominated_by Trump [R] to_replace Scalia nominated 02/01/2017 vote 54-45 result Confirmed margin 9 Result date 04/07/2017 note
Nominee Merrick B. Garland nominated_by Obama [D] to_replace Scalia nominated 03/16/2016 vote result No action margin 0 Result date note Senate declined to take up nomination.
Nominee Elena Kagan nominated_by Obama [D] to_replace Stevens nominated 05/10/2010 vote 63-37 result Confirmed margin 26 Result date 08/05/2010 note
Nominee Sonia Sotomayor nominated_by Obama [D] to_replace Souter nominated 06/01/2009 vote 68-31 result Confirmed margin 37 Result date 08/06/2009 note
Nominee Samuel A. Alito, Jr. nominated_by GW Bush [R] to_replace O'Connor nominated 11/10/2005 vote 58-42 result Confirmed margin 16 Result date 01/31/2006 note
Nominee Harriet Miers nominated_by GW Bush [R] to_replace O'Connor nominated 10/07/2005 vote result Withdrawn margin 0 Result date 10/28/2005 note Strength of her conservative beliefs questioned.
Nominee John G. Roberts, Jr. nominated_by GW Bush [R] to_replace Rehnquist nominated 09/06/2005 vote 78-22 result Confirmed margin 56 Result date 09/29/2005 note Nominated to chief justice.
Nominee John G. Roberts, Jr. nominated_by GW Bush [R] to_replace O'Connor nominated 07/29/2005 vote result Withdrawn margin 0 Result date 09/06/2005 note Withdrawn when Roberts was nominated to a higher position.
Nominee Stephen G. Breyer nominated_by Clinton (D) to_replace Blackmun nominated 05/17/1994 vote 87-9 result Confirmed margin 78 Result date 07/29/1994 note
Nominee Ruth Bader Ginsburg nominated_by Clinton (D) to_replace White nominated 06/22/1993 vote 96-3 result Confirmed margin 93 Result date 08/03/1993 note
Nominee Clarence Thomas nominated_by GHW Bush [R] to_replace Marshall nominated 07/08/1991 vote 52-48 result Confirmed margin 4 Result date 10/15/1991 note
Nominee David H. Souter nominated_by GHW Bush [R] to_replace Brennan nominated 07/25/1990 vote 90-9 result Confirmed margin 81 Result date 10/02/1990 note
Nominee Anthony M. Kennedy nominated_by Reagan [R] to_replace Powell nominated 11/30/1987 vote 97-0 result Confirmed margin 97 Result date 02/03/1988 note
Nominee Robert H. Bork nominated_by Reagan [R] to_replace Powell nominated 07/07/1987 vote 42-58 result Rejected margin -16 Result date 10/23/1987 note
Nominee Antonin Scalia nominated_by Reagan [R] to_replace Rehnquist nominated 06/24/1986 vote 98-0 result Confirmed margin 98 Result date 09/17/1986 note
Nominee William H. Rehnquist nominated_by Reagan [R] to_replace Burger nominated 06/20/1986 vote 65-33 result Confirmed margin 32 Result date 09/17/1986 note Sitting justice elevated to chief justice.
Nominee Sandra Day O'Connor nominated_by Reagan [R] to_replace Stewart nominated 08/19/1981 vote 99-0 result Confirmed margin 99 Result date 09/21/1981 note
Nominee John Paul Stevens nominated_by Ford [R] to_replace Douglas nominated 11/28/1975 vote 98-0 result Confirmed margin 98 Result date 12/17/1975 note
Nominee William H. Rehnquist nominated_by Nixon [R] to_replace Harlan nominated 10/22/1971 vote 68-26 result Confirmed margin 42 Result date 12/10/1971 note
Nominee Lewis F. Powell, Jr. nominated_by Nixon [R] to_replace Black nominated 10/22/1971 vote 89-1 result Confirmed margin 88 Result date 12/06/1971 note
Nominee Harry Blackmun nominated_by Nixon [R] to_replace Fortas nominated 04/15/1970 vote 94-0 result Confirmed margin 94 Result date 05/12/1970 note
Nominee G. Harrold Carswell nominated_by Nixon [R] to_replace Fortas nominated 01/19/1970 vote 45-51 result Rejected margin -6 Result date 04/08/1970 note
Nominee Clement Haynsworth, Jr. nominated_by Nixon [R] to_replace Fortas nominated 08/21/1969 vote 45-55 result Rejected margin -10 Result date 11/21/1969 note
Nominee Warren Burger nominated_by Nixon [R] to_replace Warren nominated 05/23/1969 vote 74-3 result Confirmed margin 71 Result date 06/09/1969 note Nominated to chief justice.
Nominee Homer Thornberry nominated_by Johnson [D] to_replace Fortas nominated 06/26/1968 vote result Withdrawn margin 0 Result date 10/04/1968 note Withdrawn when Fortas nomination did not go forward.
Nominee Abe Fortas nominated_by Johnson [D] to_replace Warren nominated 06/26/1968 vote result Withdrawn margin 0 Result date 10/04/1968 note Sitting justice nominated to chief justice; nomination filibustered and withdrawn.
Nominee Thurgood Marshall nominated_by Johnson [D] to_replace Clark nominated 06/13/1967 vote 69-11 result Confirmed margin 58 Result date 08/30/1967 note
Nominee Abe Fortas nominated_by Johnson [D] to_replace Goldberg nominated 07/28/1965 vote Voice vote result Confirmed margin 0 Result date 08/11/1965 note

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Source: U.S. Senate; Newsday archives.