Brett Kavanaugh: What happened Friday, what to watch for Saturday

WASHINGTON — The drama over Judge Brett Kavanaugh's nomination to the Supreme Court ended Friday. The Senate moved President Trump's nominee to the brink of confirmation, with a final vote set for Saturday and Kavanaugh almost certainly assured of joining the high court.

But it wasn't without suspense and twists.

Friday was a vote on "cloture" – one of those Senate words that probably makes your eyes roll back.

Put simply, under Senate rules just about every major issue requires two votes to pass. The first is to formally end debate and move to the final, decisive vote. The second decides if the bill or nominee is approved.

Friday they held the first of those two votes — but it forced everyone to put their cards on the table, and made it clear that Kavanaugh had 51 votes, enough to be confirmed Saturday.

There were four undeclared senators as of Friday morning with power to decide the nomination. Democrats needed three of them to oppose Kavanaugh in order to stop him.

One Republican, Sen. Lisa Murkowski, of Alaska, broke with her party and voted "no."

But the other three undecideds sided with Kavanaugh and President Trump.

First came Sen. Jeff Flake, an Arizona Republican. Sen. Susan Collins (R., Maine), then delivered a lengthy floor speech explaining her support for Kavanaugh. That effectively ended the fight.

Collins is a moderate Democrats hoped to persuade, but she said the accusations against Kavanaugh were unproven, and she hailed his judicial credentials and approach. She became the 50th vote for Kavanaugh, ensuring his confirmation, because Vice President Pence could break a 50-50 tie.

Minutes later Sen. Joe Manchin, of West Virginia, announced his support, becoming the only Democrat to back Kavanaugh. Manchin faces a difficult reelection next month in a state that overwhelmingly supported  Trump.

Battles over the Supreme Court have been growing angrier for decades, but this one combined an unusual set of circumstances that ratcheted the fury to new levels.

Most importantly, Kavanaugh is likely to be a decisive vote that seals a conservative majority on the nine-justice Supreme Court. He will replace retired Justice Anthony Kennedy, who was a frequent swing vote in 5-4 decisions on some of the country's most contentious issues.

But there was more to it than that. With Kavanaugh accused of sexual assault — and firmly denying it — the debate took on the emotional weight of the Me Too movement. Many women urged lawmakers to take sexual assault claims seriously, while Kavanaugh supporters, including President Trump, warned of the danger of holding unconfirmed accusations against a man with an otherwise strong reputation.

The battle echoed the 1991 hearings on Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas and Anita Hill, who accused him of sexual harassment in a dispute that still resonates.

Senators are due to vote on final confirmation Saturday afternoon. At this point, it's all-but impossible to see any change in the outcome.

That's a major question.

Women were already leading the charge for Democrats as both activists and candidates, and seem sure to be even more energized.

At the same time, Republican voters have historically been motivated by the importance of the courts, and GOP operatives said they had seen a surge of interest from their voters as Kavanaugh's nomination was delayed.

Will that last? Anger is powerful fuel in elections, and Republicans now have a victory to be happy about.