Susan Collins Breaks Tie to Confirm Anti-Abortion Judge Matthew Byrne

The U.S. Senate moved forward with the appointment of Judge Matthew R. Byrne to the Southern District of Ohio, ending debate with a cloture vote and proceeding to a floor vote that ended 47-46. The narrow margin required Maine Republican Senator Susan Collins to break the tie, delivering the decisive vote. Byrne, a veteran of one outlet Society, has long been linked to anti-abortion groups such as Ohio Right to Life, Cincinnati Right to Life, Warren County Right to Life, and the Center for Christian Virtue.

In a 2020 judicial questionnaire, he stated he opposes abortion in all cases except to protect the mother’s life, rejecting exceptions for rape or incest. When questioned by the Senate Judiciary Committee, he declined to comment, citing judicial conduct rules. His record includes being the sole dissenting justice on the Ohio Supreme Court who refused to dismiss a challenge to the state’s six-week abortion ban, even after voters approved a constitutional right to abortion. Collins, facing a vulnerable midterm race, has previously portrayed herself as pro-choice, yet her vote aligns with her past support for Brett Kavanaugh, who later helped overturn Roe v. Wade.