dress code violation

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

April 7, 2022

.polaris__post-meta--date { display: none; } .polaris__post-meta--date.no-script { display: block; padding-left: 45px } April 7, 2022

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.

So why were none of these lawmakers in the room with their colleagues? Apparently, it had something to do with the Senate dress code.

Neither Graham nor Paul was wearing attire proper enough for the chamber (i.e. a tie), so they were both unable to enter. According to New Republic's Grace Segers, Graham was wearing a blue polo and a blazer when he poked his head in from the cloakroom door to give his "thumbs down" vote. When Paul eventually did the same, Segers says the senator was wearing a green windbreaker.

Most Republicans were present. Graham waited in the Republican cloakroom, popping his head in only to vote no. He looked to be wearing a blue polo and a blazer - senators are leaving for two weeks - and presumably did not fully enter because of his lack of formal attire.
— Grace Segers (@Grace_Segers) April 7, 2022

After several minutes waiting, Paul popped his head in to give a thumbs down. He was wearing a green windbreaker and, like Graham, did not fully enter the chamber.
— Grace Segers (@Grace_Segers) April 7, 2022

Per a report from Fox News' Chad Pergram, Inhofe voted the same way as Graham for the same clothing-related reasons.

From colleague Jason Donner. Graham and Inhofe voted from the cloakroom on Jackson nomination. They poked their heads out and voted thumbs down. They were not dressed in proper attire for Senate floor, which means wearing ties.
— Chad Pergram (@ChadPergram) April 7, 2022

Moran also reportedly voted from the cloakroom, though it's unclear if that was due to dress code.

The lawmakers' lack of formal attire might perhaps have something to do with the two-week Senate recess now in session ... but it's not as though Thursday's vote wasn't a highly-publicized, highly-anticipated event. It's also still at this moment unclear where Paul was or what he was doing when he delayed the vote.

But what's perhaps even more curious about all of this is that Graham was said to have been wearing a tie at a press conference earlier in the day, reports CNN's John Harwood. Does that mean he took it off before the vote? The drama!

all the more remarkable for the fact that Graham was wearing a tie at a press conference earlier in the dayhe took it off
— John Harwood (@JohnJHarwood) April 7, 2022