Article snippet: Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh on Friday secured the support needed for Senate confirmation, setting the stage for a final vote on Saturday that will cap a fiercely partisan months-long battle over his nomination. Kavanaugh gained the crucial backing of Sen. MORE’s pick to succeed former Justice Anthony Kennedy. “Despite the turbulent, bitter fight surrounding his nomination, my fervent hope is that Brett Kavanaugh will work to lessen the divisions in the Supreme Court so that we have far fewer 5-4 decisions and so that public confidence in our judiciary and our highest court is restored,” Collins said in a Senate floor speech, surrounded by roughly two dozen of her GOP colleagues. “I will vote to confirm Judge Kavanaugh.” Manchin announced his position just minutes after Collins’s speech. “I have found Judge Kavanaugh to be a qualified jurist who will follow the Constitution and determine cases based on the legal findings before him,” Manchin, who is up for reelection in a state Trump won by double digits, said in a statement. “I do hope that Judge Kavanaugh will not allow the partisan nature this process took to follow him onto the court.” Collins and Manchin give Kavanaugh his 50th and 51st supporter ahead of Saturday’s final vote, securing the simple majority needed to be confirmed. Kavanaugh is on track to be confirmed by the narrowest margin since 1881, when the Senate approved Stanley Matthews's nomination in a 24-23 vote. Collins and Manchin were ... Link to the full article to read more