Vote to confirm Amy Coney Barrett to the Supreme Court scheduled for next week
Senate Judiciary Committee sets decision for 22 October
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.The Senate Judiciary Committee has scheduled a vote on the confirmation of Amy Coney Barrett to the Supreme Court for 1pm on 22 October, after rejecting calls from Democrats to delay the process.
Democratic senators objected to the decision, and argued that the process is being rushed so that Ms Barrett, President Trump’s pick to replace Ruth Bader Ginsburg on the Supreme Court, can be confirmed before 3 November’s election.
Senator Dick Durbin said that the vote should be delayed because two minority members of the committee were not present, but chair Lindsey Graham rejected his call, according to CNN.
Democratic senator Richard Blumenthal also unsuccessfully called for Ms Barrett’s nomination to be postponed, as he claimed the time frame allocated does not give officials enough time to review her nomination.
Mr Blumenthal said: “I move to indefinitely postpone the nomination of Amy Coney Barrett to be an associate justice of the United States Supreme Court.
“I believe that this rush sham process is a disservice to our committee. She has been rushed in a way that is historically unprecedented.”
Democratic senator Amy Klobuchar echoed Mr Blumenthal by calling the process a “sham” and asked for the vote to be moved until after 3 November’s election.
“I think it's time, to be honest, about what's going on here,” Ms Klobuchar said. “We should allow the winner of the election to pick this nominee.”
The position of a justice on the Supreme Court is a lifetime role, and if Ms Barrett is confirmed, then the court will likely have a conservative super-majority for decades.
The date was set on the final day of Ms Barrett’s hearings, following three days of questioning which left many frustrated and raised questions about her political beliefs.
Mr Durbin claimed that that there had been “a denigration of the process to the point where it's almost useless,” as he said that Ms Barrett refused to answer numerous questions over the first three days of the hearing.
On Wednesday, Ms Barrett declined to say whether the president could delay the election or prevent someone from voting, which are both unconstitutional, according to CBS News.
Ms Barrett also refused to give her opinion on a myriad of legal issues that the Supreme Court votes on, including abortion, healthcare and birth control.
Mr Durbin added: “I would be afraid to ask her about the presence of gravity on Earth. She may decline to answer because it may come up in a case.”
If the committee votes to approve Ms Barrett then her nomination will be sent to the Senate floor for a vote on 26 October.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments