Clarence Thomas Supreme Court Nomination - Senate Confirmation

Senate Confirmation

After extensive debate, the Committee sent the nomination to the full Senate without a recommendation either way. Thomas was confirmed by the Senate with a 52 to 48 vote on October 15, 1991, the narrowest margin for approval in more than a century. Vice President Quayle presided over the vote in his role as President of the Senate, partly in case his vote was needed to break a potential 50-50 tie for confirmation. The final floor vote was not along strictly party lines: 41 Republicans and 11 Democrats (Dixon (D-IL), Exon (D-NE), DeConcini (D-AZ), Robb (D-VA), Hollings (D-SC), Fowler (D-GA), Nunn (D-GA), Breaux (D-LA), Johnston (D-LA), Boren (D-OK), and Shelby (D-AL) now (R-AL)) voted to confirm while 46 Democrats and 2 Republicans (Jeffords (R-VT) and Packwood (R-OR)) voted to reject the nomination.

Thomas was sworn in on October 23, 1991, by Chief Justice William Rehnquist as the 106th Justice of the Supreme Court. That ceremony had initially been scheduled for October 21, but was postponed until October 23 due to the death of Rehnquist’s wife, and it would have been postponed longer but for a request by Thomas. The swearing-in cut short continued journalistic investigation into Thomas’s private life.