Trump nominates Amy Coney Barrett
WASHINGTON – U.S. President Donald Trump nominates Amy Coney Barrette as Supreme Court justice.
Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Lindsey Graham said in a statement on Saturday evening that the committee would host a hearing for opening statements on Oct. 12, followed by three to four days of questions and testimony.
“It’s going to go fast. We’re looking to do it before the election. So it’s going to go very fast,” Trump said.
Trump says after announcing Amy Coney Barrett as SCOTUS nominee, 38 days before election: "This should be a straightforward and prompt confirmation. Should be very easy. Good luck. It's going to be very quick. I'm sure it'll be extremely non-controversial" https://t.co/9pCIxgvWEK pic.twitter.com/8rMR3TqGLq
— CBS News (@CBSNews) September 26, 2020
The hearings are part of an accelerated timeline as the Republican-controlled Senate seeks to vote on Trump’s nominee before the election, and cement a 6-3 conservative majority on the court.
If confirmed, Barrett, a conservative and a devout Roman Catholic, will replace liberal Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, who died on Sept. 18.
Trump this week said he believed the Supreme Court would be called upon to rule on the election outcome, something that has happened only once in American history, in 2000.
Trump has repeatedly and without evidence said that voting by mail, a longstanding feature of American politics, could lead to a surge in election fraud. He also has refused to commit to a peaceful transfer of power if he loses the election.
Graham, a Republican and Trump ally, has said he hopes to have a normal hearing process despite an expedited timeline and Democratic protests that Trump should not be filling the vacancy before the country chooses its president.
“My hope is to be able to do it in a fashion that we cannot deviate from the norms too much,” Graham said earlier this week. He also said he wants to finish the hearing process and get the nominee to the floor before Election Day.
"I am used to being in a group of nine—my family." pic.twitter.com/NBGCtHFf0o
— The White House 45 Archived (@WhiteHouse45) September 26, 2020
Given Republicans’ 53-47 majority in the chamber, Democrats have no way of blocking a quick confirmation of a Trump nominee, even though two Republican senators have voiced objections.
The judiciary committee has 22 members – 12 Republicans and 10 Democrats, including Senator Kamala Harris, running mate to Trump’s Democratic challenger, Joe Biden.
