A Supreme Court Justice seat opened up in late September following the death of Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg. After much dispute between Republicans and Democrats, given that the United States presidential election is three weeks away, President Donald Trump nominated United States Federal Judge Amy Coney Barrett. Trump nominated Barrett on Sept. 25, and Barrett’s hearing began on Oct. 12.
Now, after the fourth day of Barrett’s hearing, here are the major updates:
- Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell made it clear that Republicans will move swiftly to confirm Barrett. While Democrats hold the majority in the House, Republicans hold a 53 to 47 majority in the Senate. This supports the statement McConnell made to Kentucky reporters, in which he said, “We have the vote.” If all Republicans vote in favor of Barrett’s nomination on Oct. 22, McConnell said the Senate as a whole would consider her nomination starting on Oct. 23, which is the week before the election.
- Democrats attempted to stop Barrett’s Supreme Court nomination from progressing on Thursday but were rejected by the Senate Judiciary Committee. Senator Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn. spoke to the Republicans on the panel, “In your hearts, you know that what’s happening here is not right. It’s not normal. The real people eventually will judge us. History will haunt this raw exercise of political power.” Blumenthal’s views are in line with that of Democrats who are worried and frustrated that Barrett’s nomination is being rushed due to the presidential election’s proximity on Nov. 3.
- Crystal Good, who at 16 was granted a special court order to get an abortion without parental consent, spoke out against Barrett’s nomination. During her testimony, Good warned that a woman’s right to access abortion would be at risk if Barrett is confirmed onto the Supreme Court. In Trump’s 2016 campaign trail, he emphasized that he would only nominate “pro-life” judges to the Court and that Roe v. Wade would be overturned. There are currently multiple abortion-related cases waiting to be heard by the Supreme Court until after the confirmation.
- Along with abortion rights, Democrats are worried that the Affordable Care Act would be at stake if Barrett is confirmed. Democrats testified that Barret’s threat to the 2010 Affordable Care Act would pose a threat to Americans with preexisting health conditions. These testimonies come after Democrats used poster boards as testimonials to emphasize American citizen’s concerns under the Affordable Care Act, specifically those with preexisting health conditions and the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, all on the first day of hearings.
- Witnesses from a nonpartisan committee of the American Bar Association testified on Barrett’s behalf. Barrett did not appear on the fourth day of her hearings. Still, the first to testify on her behalf informed the Senate that Barrett was “well qualified” to serve as a Justice on the Supreme Court.
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