By Michael Shepherd - March 25, 2022
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Good morning from Augusta.

What we're watching today

A decision on the latest Supreme Court nominee from Maine's Republican senator could come soon. If history is our guide, Maine Sen. Susan Collins could issue a decision within days on Ketanji Brown Jackson, who would be the first Black woman to serve on the high court after being picked by President Joe Biden to succeed retiring Justice Stephen Breyer.

Her decision on Justice Neil Gorsuch, who was former President Donald Trump's pick, came less than a week after his confirmation hearing wrapped up. It took her about a month to say she would back Justice Brett Kavanaugh, whose confirmation process was roiled by allegations of sexual assault that he denied. Collins' office has not announced when she will decide on Jackson and the senator told national outlets that she is still mulling it.

The signals from Collins have been quite clear. She remains the Republican who is perhaps most likely to back Jackson and has discussed the nominee in similar ways to those in the past that she has backed. Collins told Fox News during Jackson's confirmation hearing, which ran through Thursday, that she was watching for more information on the judge's philosophy amid conservative criticism on her record on crime and terrorism. (The nation's largest police organization has said it is "reassured" by Jackson's nomination.)

Sen. Joe Manchin, a centrist Democrat from West Virginia, said Friday he intends to back Jackson. So while Democrats do not necessarily need Collins' vote with 50-50 control of the Senate, they have been courting her from the outset. Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, who joined Collins as one of three Republicans backing Jackson for a lower-court position in 2021, signaled he would not support her now with a fiery performance at her hearing on Tuesday.

Other Republicans like Sens. Mitt Romney of Utah and the retiring Roy Blunt of Missouri could support the historic pick, but Jackson's margins should still be tight by historic standards. That's why Collins is still somewhat in the spotlight on this despite Democratic control of Washington.

News and notes

— The Republican State Leadership Committee, a group targeting legislative races here in 2022, released a digital ad in Maine and several other states on Thursday blaming higher gas prices on state and national Democrats. (It is also a red-state and global issue.) The ad comes as Maine Senate Republicans tease a similar attack line in a Hancock County special election in June between former Sen. Brian Langley, R-Ellsworth, and Rep. Nicole Grohoski, D-Ellsworth. They have hit Grohoski for supporting a carbon tax bill in the past. Democrats have focused on Langley's past opposition to Medicaid expansion.

— Come see me on Thursday in person or virtually at the University of Maine in Orono. I'm being hosted by the journalism department there to speak about increasing nationalization in state politics. Specifics and registration info here.

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What we're reading

— Two-time gubernatorial candidate Eliot Cutler has hired top Maine defense lawyer Walter McKee after state police searched Cutler's homes in Portland and Brooklin on Wednesday. Police have not said who is the subject of the investigation or what it is about. Neither Cutler nor anyone else has been charged with a crime.

— Before Madeleine Albright became U.S. secretary of state, she knocked doors on Munjoy Hill for Sen. Edmund Muskie, one of her first bosses. Read more from the BDN's Jessica Piper. She spoke to Charlie Micoleau, Muskie's former chief of staff, about his time working with Albright, who died Wednesday.

— Gov. Janet Mills and Maj. Gen. Douglas Farnham, Maine's adjutant general, said on Thursday they support an outside investigation of how the state National Guard investigates sexual harassment and assault. That announcement came a day before a legislative panel was set to hear a bill calling for a similar probe following a Bangor Daily News investigation exposing lax enforcement of policies and retaliation against soldiers who alleged abuse.

— Historic levels of migration to Maine offset stark demographic trends in 2021, leading to another year of population growth across urban and rural areas, according to census data released Thursday.

— Maine will cover COVID-19 tests and treatment for uninsured people after federal funding expires in early April. The state program will run through the end of a federal public health emergency, which is expected to last at least two more months and likely longer than that.

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Follow along today

9 a.m. The health panel will hold a public hearing on an abortion-rights bill from Sen. Cathy Breen, D-Falmouth. Watch here.

A measure to regulate the use of biometric identifiers such as fingerprint and eye readings will be worked on by the judiciary panel. Watch here.

10 a.m. The Veterans and Legal Affairs Committee will hold a public hearing on a bill from House Majority Leader Michelle Dunphy, D-Old Town, that would make it easier for large outdoor venues to serve spirits. Later, it will hear the bill calling for an independent probe of the Maine National Guard. Watch here.

1 p.m. The appropriations committee will continue work on Mills' supplemental budget proposal after an initial round of unanimous votes on Wednesday. Watch here.

5 p.m. Mills will speak at the opening of an exhibit on Franco-American entrepreneurs at the University of Southern Maine's Lewiston campus.

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📷 Lead photo: Supreme Court nominee Ketanji Brown Jackson meets with Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, on Capitol Hill in Washington on March 8, 2022. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster, File)

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