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.
| State | Senator | Party |
Vote |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | Heflin, Howell T.Howell T. Heflin | D | Nay |
| Alabama | Shelby, RichardRichard Shelby | D | Yea |
| Alaska | Stevens, TedTed Stevens | R | Yea |
| Alaska | Murkowski, Frank H.Frank H. Murkowski | R | Yea |
| Arizona | DeConcini, DennisDennis DeConcini | D | Yea |
| Arizona | McCain, JohnJohn McCain | R | Yea |
| Arkansas | Bumpers, DaleDale Bumpers | D | Nay |
| Arkansas | Pryor, DavidDavid Pryor | D | Nay |
| California | Cranston, AlanAlan Cranston | D | Nay |
| California | Seymour, John F.John F. Seymour | R | Yea |
| Colorado | Brown, HankHank Brown | R | Yea |
| Colorado | Wirth, TimTim Wirth | D | Nay |
| Connecticut | Dodd, ChrisChris Dodd | D | Nay |
| Connecticut | Lieberman, JoeJoe Lieberman | D | Nay |
| Delaware | Biden, JoeJoe Biden | D | Nay |
| Delaware | Roth, Jr., William V.William V. Roth, Jr. | R | Yea |
| Florida | Graham, BobBob Graham | D | Nay |
| Florida | Mack III, ConnieConnie Mack III | R | Yea |
| Georgia | Nunn, SamSam Nunn | D | Yea |
| Georgia | Fowler, WycheWyche Fowler | D | Yea |
| Hawaii | Inouye, DanielDaniel Inouye | D | Nay |
| Hawaii | Akaka, DanielDaniel Akaka | D | Nay |
| Idaho | Symms, SteveSteve Symms | R | Yea |
| Idaho | Craig, LarryLarry Craig | R | Yea |
| Illinois | Simon, PaulPaul Simon | D | Nay |
| Illinois | Dixon, Alan J.Alan J. Dixon | D | Yea |
| Indiana | Lugar, RichardRichard Lugar | R | Yea |
| Indiana | Coats, DanDan Coats | R | Yea |
| Iowa | Grassley, ChuckChuck Grassley | R | Yea |
| Iowa | Harkin, TomTom Harkin | D | Nay |
| Kansas | Dole, BobBob Dole | R | Yea |
| Kansas | Kassebaum, Nancy LandonNancy Landon Kassebaum | R | Yea |
| Kentucky | Ford, Wendell H.Wendell H. Ford | D | Nay |
| Kentucky | McConnell, MitchMitch McConnell | R | Yea |
| Louisiana | Johnston, Jr., BennettBennett Johnston, Jr. | D | Yea |
| Louisiana | Breaux, JohnJohn Breaux | D | Yea |
| Maine | Cohen, WilliamWilliam Cohen | R | Yea |
| Maine | Mitchell, George J.George J. Mitchell | D | Nay |
| Maryland | Sarbanes, PaulPaul Sarbanes | D | Nay |
| Maryland | Mikulski, BarbaraBarbara Mikulski | D | Nay |
| Massachusetts | Kennedy, TedTed Kennedy | D | Nay |
| Massachusetts | Kerry, JohnJohn Kerry | D | Nay |
| Michigan | Levin, CarlCarl Levin | D | Nay |
| Michigan | Riegle, Jr., Donald W.Donald W. Riegle, Jr. | D | Nay |
| Minnesota | Durenberger, DavidDavid Durenberger | R | Yea |
| Minnesota | Wellstone, PaulPaul Wellstone | D | Nay |
| Mississippi | Cochran, ThadThad Cochran | R | Yea |
| Mississippi | Lott, TrentTrent Lott | R | Yea |
| Missouri | Danforth, JohnJohn Danforth | R | Yea |
| Missouri | Bond, KitKit Bond | R | Yea |
| Montana | Baucus, MaxMax Baucus | D | Nay |
| Montana | Burns, ConradConrad Burns | R | Yea |
| Nebraska | Exon, J. JamesJ. James Exon | D | Yea |
| Nebraska | Kerrey, BobBob Kerrey | D | Nay |
| Nevada | Reid, HarryHarry Reid | D | Nay |
| Nevada | Bryan, RichardRichard Bryan | D | Nay |
| New Hampshire | Rudman, WarrenWarren Rudman | R | Yea |
| New Hampshire | Smith, Robert C.Robert C. Smith | R | Yea |
| New Jersey | Lautenberg, FrankFrank Lautenberg | D | Nay |
| New Jersey | Bradley, BillBill Bradley | D | Nay |
| New Mexico | Domenici, PeterPeter Domenici | R | Yea |
| New Mexico | Bingaman, JeffJeff Bingaman | D | Nay |
| New York | Moynihan, Daniel PatrickDaniel Patrick Moynihan | D | Nay |
| New York | D'Amato, AlAl D'Amato | R | Yea |
| North Carolina | Helms, JesseJesse Helms | R | Yea |
| North Carolina | Sanford, TerryTerry Sanford | D | Nay |
| North Dakota | Conrad, KentKent Conrad | D | Nay |
| North Dakota | Burdick, Quentin N.Quentin N. Burdick | D | Nay |
| Ohio| | Glenn, JohnJohn Glenn | D | Nay |
| Ohio | Metzenbaum, HowardHoward Metzenbaum | D | Nay |
| Oklahoma | Nickles, DonDon Nickles | R | Yea |
| Oklahoma | Boren, David L.David L. Boren | D | Yea |
| Oregon | Packwood, BobBob Packwood | R | Nay |
| Oregon | Hatfield, MarkMark Hatfield | R | Yea |
| Pennsylvania | Specter, ArlenArlen Specter | R | Yea |
| Pennsylvania | Wofford, HarrisHarris Wofford | D | Nay |
| Rhode Island | Chafee, JohnJohn Chafee | R | Yea |
| Rhode Island | Pell, ClaiborneClaiborne Pell | D | Nay |
| South Carolina | Thurmond, StromStrom Thurmond | R | Yea |
| South Carolina | Hollings, ErnestErnest Hollings | D | Yea |
| South Dakota | Daschle, TomTom Daschle | D | Nay |
| Tennessee | Gore, AlAl Gore | D | Nay |
| Tennessee | Sasser, JimJim Sasser | D | Nay |
| Texas | Bentsen, LloydLloyd Bentsen | D | Nay |
| Texas | Gramm, PhilPhil Gramm | R | Yea |
| Utah | Hatch, OrrinOrrin Hatch | R | Yea |
| Utah | Garn, JakeJake Garn | R | Yea |
| Vermont | Leahy, PatrickPatrick Leahy | D | Nay |
| Vermont | Jeffords, JimJim Jeffords | R | Nay |
| Virginia | Warner, JohnJohn Warner | R | Yea |
| Virginia | Robb, ChuckChuck Robb | D | Yea |
| Washington | Adams, BrockBrock Adams | D | Nay |
| Washington | Gorton, SladeSlade Gorton | R | Yea |
| West Virginia | Byrd, RobertRobert Byrd | D | Nay |
| West Virginia | Rockefeller, JayJay Rockefeller | D | Nay |
| Wisconsin | Kohl, HerbHerb Kohl | D | Nay |
| Wisconsin | Kasten, BobBob Kasten | R | Yea |
| Wyoming | Wallop, MalcolmMalcolm Wallop | R | Yea |
| Wyoming | Simpson, Alan K.Alan K. Simpson | R | Yea |
Read more about this topic: Clarence Thomas Supreme Court Nomination
Famous quotes containing the words senate and/or confirmation:
“This is a Senate of equals, of men of individual honor and personal character, and of absolute independence. We know no masters, we acknowledge no dictators. This is a hall for mutual consultation and discussion; not an arena for the exhibition of champions.”
—Daniel Webster (1782–1852)
“The confirmation of Clarence Thomas, one of the most conservative voices to be added to the [Supreme] Court in recent memory, carries a sobering message for the African- American community.... As he begins to make his mark upon the lives of African Americans, we must acknowledge that his successful nomination is due in no small measure to the support he received from black Americans.”
—Kimberly Crenshaw (b. 1959)