Georgia’s two Republican senators vocalized their support for Supreme Court nominee Neil Gorsuch, but only one, David Perdue, was in town as the chamber voted on his confirmation Friday morning.
Perdue sat at his desk in the back of the Senate chamber as individual lawmakers took turns standing to voice their stance on the federal judge.
“Judge Gorsuch is an unwavering supporter of the United States Constitution, and the best person to fill the Supreme Court vacancy left by Justice Antonin Scalia,” he later said in a statement.
Johnny Isakson, still on the mend from two back surgeries, was absent for the vote. His doctor had cleared him to visit the Senate for the day on Thursday, when he voted in favor of advancing Gorsuch’s nomination and changing the Senate’s rules in order to avoid the Democrats’ filibuster.
In a floor speech Thursday, Isakson called Gorsuch a “good man.”
“I’m so proud to have someone like that who will serve on the Supreme Court bench with distinction,” he said.