US to Get 9th Justice with Dems Powerless to Block Barrett

WASHINGTON (AP) — A divided Senate is set to confirm Amy Coney Barrett to the Supreme Court, giving the country a ninth justice Monday as Republicans overpower Democratic opposition to secure President Donald Trump’s nominee the week before Election Day.

Democratic leaders asked Vice President Mike Pence to stay away from presiding over her Senate confirmation due to potential health risks after his aides tested positive for COVID-19. But although Pence isn’t needed to break a tie, the vote would present a dramatic opportunity for him to preside over confirmation of Trump’s third Supreme Court justice.

Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer and his leadership team wrote that not only would Pence’s presence violate Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines, “it would also be a violation of common decency and courtesy.”

But Senate Republicans control the chamber and Barrett’s confirmation isn’t in doubt.

The 48-year-old Barrett would secure a conservative court majority for the foreseeable future, potentially opening a new era of rulings on abortion, gay marriage and the Affordable Care Act. A case against the Obama-era health law is scheduled to be heard Nov. 10.

- Advertisement -

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell scoffed at the “apocalyptic” warnings from critics that the judicial branch was becoming mired in partisan politics as he defended its transformation under his watch.

“This is something to be really proud of and feel good about,” the Republican leader said Sunday during a rare weekend session.

McConnell said that unlike legislative actions that can be undone by new presidents or lawmakers, “they won’t be able to do much about this for a long time to come.”

Schumer, of New York, said the Trump administration’s drive to install Barrett during the coronavirus crisis shows “the Republican Party is willing to ignore the pandemic in order to rush this nominee forward.”

To underscore the potential health risks, Schumer urged his colleagues Sunday not to linger in the chamber but “cast your votes quickly and from a safe distance.” Some GOP senators tested positive for the coronavirus following a Rose Garden event with Trump to announce Barrett’s nomination, but they have since said they have been cleared by their doctors from quarantine. Pence’s office said the vice president tested negative for the virus on Monday.

The confirmation was expected to be the first of a Supreme Court nominee so close to a presidential election. It’s also one of the first high court nominees in recent memory receiving no support from the minority party, a pivot from not long ago when a president’s picks often won wide support.

Barrett presented herself in public testimony before the Senate Judiciary Committee as a neutral arbiter and suggested, “It’s not the law of Amy.” But her writings against abortion and a ruling on “Obamacare” show a deeply conservative thinker. She was expected to be seated quickly on the high court.

“She’s a conservative woman who embraces her faith. She’s unabashedly pro-life, but she’s not going to apply ‘the law of Amy’ to all of us,” the Judiciary Committee chairman, Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., said on Fox News Channel.

At the start of Trump’s presidency, McConnell engineered a Senate rules change to allow confirmation by a majority of the 100 senators, rather than the 60-vote threshold traditionally needed to advance high court nominees over objections. It was escalation of a rules change Democrats put in place to advance other court and administrative nominees under President Barack Obama.

On Sunday, the Senate voted 51-48 to begin to bring the process to a vote as senators, mostly Democrats, pulled an all-night session for the final 30 hours of often heated debate. Two Republicans, Lisa Murkowski of Alaska and Susan Collins of Maine, voted against advancing the nominee, and all Democrats who voted were opposed. California Sen. Kamala Harris, the vice presidential nominee, missed the vote while campaigning in Michigan.

Monday’s final tally was expected to grow by one after Murkowski announced her support for the nominee, even as she decried filling the seat in the midst of a heated race for the White House. Murkowski said Saturday she would vote against the procedural steps but ultimately join GOP colleagues in confirming Barrett.

“While I oppose the process that has led us to this point, I do not hold it against her,” Murkowski said.

Collins, who faces a tight reelection fight in Maine, remains the only Republican expected to vote against Trump’s nominee. “My vote does not reflect any conclusion that I have reached about Judge Barrett’s qualifications to serve,” Collins said. “I do not think it is fair nor consistent to have a Senate confirmation vote prior to the election.”

By pushing for Barrett’s ascension so close to the Nov. 3 election, Trump and his Republican allies are counting on a campaign boost, in much the way they believe McConnell’s refusal to allow the Senate to consider Obama’s nominee in February 2016 created excitement for Trump among conservatives and evangelical Christians eager for a Republican president to replace the late Justice Antonin Scalia.

Barrett was a professor at Notre Dame Law School when she was tapped by Trump in 2017 for an appeals court opening. Two Democrats joined at that time to confirm her, but none is expected to vote for her now.

___

Associated Press writers Mary Clare Jalonick in Washington, Meg Kinnard in Columbia, South Carolina, and Becky Bohrer in Juneau, Alaska, contributed to this report.

More Stories

Antigua Barbuda aerial

Antigua and Barbuda’s economy surpasses pre-pandemic levels, driven by tourism

Antigua and Barbuda’s economy continues its post-pandemic rebound, with real output surpassing pre-pandemic levels in 2024. Growth was estimated at 4.3%, fueled by a strong...
Guyana to begin Construction on seven new hospitals

Guyana aims to become regional pharmaceutical, vaccine manufacturing hub

The future of Guyana’s healthcare system is taking shape with ambitious plans to build six new hospitals, modernize outdated regulations, and establish the country...
Doctors Without Borders suspends operations again in Haiti

Doctors Without Borders suspends operations again in Haiti

Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) has once again suspended operations at its Turgeau Emergency Centre in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, following an alarming escalation of...
Grenada’s Opposition leader Dr Keith Mitchell says he will not be seeking re-election

Former Grenada Prime Minister Keith Mitchell collapses during political meeting

Former Grenadian Prime Minister Dr. Keith Mitchell collapsed on Monday evening while addressing supporters of the New National Party (NNP) at a political meeting...
Suriname Joins World Bank's International Development Association as Newest Member

Local World Bank employees in Jamaica now exempt from income tax

In a move that reinforces Jamaica’s relationship with the World Bank, the Senate passed legislation on March 14 exempting locally recruited World Bank employees...
Vishnu Dhanpaul Trinidad cabinet

New Trinidad PM Stuart Young announces new cabinet appointments

Newly-appointed Prime Minister of Trinidad and Tobago Stuart Young has unveiled his Cabinet, introducing several new appointments while retaining many key ministers. The official announcement...
Bahamas Health Minister

Bahamas Health Minister defends Cuban health workers amid US criticism

Health Minister Dr. Michael Darville has defended the presence of Cuban health workers in The Bahamas, emphasizing their crucial role in the country’s optometry...
Trinidad Prime Minister Dr. Keith Rowley

Dr. Keith Rowley calls for Trinidad to leave Privy Council in final address as PM

Former Prime Minister Dr. Keith Rowley used his final address in office to make a passionate case for Trinidad and Tobago’s exit from the...
Stuart Young

Stuart Young sworn in as Trinidad and Tobago’s 8th Prime Minister

In a historic ceremony at the President's House this morning, Stuart Young was sworn in as the 8th Prime Minister of Trinidad and Tobago,...
Horace Chang Jamaica

Jamaica on track for historic low murder rate, says Minister Chang

Jamaica could be on track to record fewer than 1,000 murders in a single year for the first time in recent history, as the...

Latest Articles

Skip to content