Why did multiple Republican senators vote against Jackson from the cloakroom?

If you were watching Thursday afternoon's vote for the newly-confirmed Supreme Court nominee Ketanji Brown Jackson, you may have noticed a few GOP senators missing from the room, as well as a curious delay caused by one of them.

Specifically, Sens. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), Jim Inhofe (R-Okla.), and Jerry Moran (R-Kansas) reportedly voted from the Republican cloakroom rather than the Senate floor, while Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) remained noticeably absent. Once Paul surfaced after roughly 15 minutes, he cast his vote from the cloakroom, as well.

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Brigid Kennedy

Brigid Kennedy worked at The Week from 2021 to 2023 as a staff writer, junior editor and then story editor, with an interest in U.S. politics, the economy and the music industry.