Historic Turmoil
The last judge to end up on the Supreme Court by such a slim margin was Stanley Matthews, who was confirmed in 1881 by a single vote.
Matthews had been nominated once before that, by President Rutherford Hayes. But controversy shrouded the nomination because Matthews had been a classmate of Hayes' at Kenyon College, sparking accusations of cronyism. The Senate didn't act on the first nomination.
Matthews only joined the nation's highest bench after Hayes' successor, President James Garfield, re-nominated him. He was confirmed with a 24-23 vote.
Until now, the most divided Supreme Court confirmation since Matthews was for Clarence Thomas, nominated in 1991 by President George H.W. Bush. Thomas faced an FBI investigation into alleged sexual misconduct and contentious hearings before a Democrat-controlled Senate.