The vote was 15 to 7 with all Democratic senators and four Republicans in favor of the nominee.
Garland, the former chief justice of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the DC Circuit, has been praised by members of both parties for his intellect and integrity. He pledged in his nomination hearing last month to ‘repel any attempt by anyone’ to politically influence the Justice Department’s investigations, and that his first priority would be to address the ‘heinous’ crimes committed in the attack on to fully prosecute the U.S. Capitol in January. 6.
“He is a man with extraordinary qualifications,” Illinois Democratic senator Dick Durbin, chairman of the legal committee, said on Monday. “His life has been dedicated to public service and the promotion of values essential to the functioning of the Department of Justice, integrity, independence, fidelity to the rule of law and a commitment to equal justice for all.”
“The president has made it clear in every public statement before and after my appointment that decisions on investigations and prosecutions will be left to the Department of Justice,” Garland said. “That was why I was willing to take on this job.”
Iowa Senator Chuck Grassley, the top Republican on the Judiciary Committee, supported Garland, calling him an ‘honorable man’ with a ‘big job’ ahead of him to maintain the integrity of the department.
“It is up to him to stop the Department of Justice from becoming the Department of Social Justice,” Grassley said. “I take him at his word that this is not what he wants.”
Texas Senator Ted Cruz was one of seven Republicans who opposed Garland’s nomination. He argued that Garland would not respond to questions about weapons, immigration and other policies, and that he would not agree to a personal meeting. Cruz said the panel’s vote would set a precedent where a nominated attorney general “could essentially refuse to answer all questions” and the Senate majority would still confirm him or her. “This is a precedent that I predict will come back to haunt this committee,” Cruz said.
Durbin said Garland responded to all 127 written questions from Cruz and offered to meet Cruz over Zoom due to the health issues of the pandemic.
In March 2016, then-President Barack Obama nominated Garland to serve as a judge in the Supreme Court. Senate Republicans blocked his nomination, claiming that the public should vote for the next president to decide on the lifelong appointment. Yet, in September 2020, then-President Donald Trump nominated Judge Amy Coney Barrett in the Supreme Court and on October 26, about a week before Election Day, she was confirmed by the Republican-controlled Senate.
Before becoming a judge, Garland served under President Bill Clinton’s Deputy Attorney General Jamie Gorelick and led the Justice Department’s investigation into the 1995 Oklahoma City bombing.
“I come from a family where my grandparents fled anti-Semitism and persecution,” Garland said. “The country has taken us in and protected us. I feel an obligation to the country to repay.”
This story was updated on Monday with additional developments.
CNN’s Jeremy Herb, Ted Barrett and Kristin Wilson contributed to this report.