Report: Senate Set to Confirm Amy Coney Barrett to Supreme Court as Early as Monday, 26th, As Dems Admit They Have No Procedural Recourse

By Christopher Boyle Last updated Oct 21, 2020 Share with new partner:

Following a lunch break, Supreme Court nominee Judge Amy Coney Barrett returned for more questions from members of the Senate Judiciary Committee. Each senator received 20 minutes to engage with Judge Barrett on a variety of legal topics. Barrett Confirmation Hearing, Day 3 Part 2. October 14, 2020. Photo: C-SPAN.

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Amy Coney Barrett, President Donald Trump’s pick to replace the late Justice Ruth Bader Ginsberg’s slot on the Supreme Court, could be confirmed as early as Monday, Oct. 26, according to reports.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky) had recently been quoted as saying to reporters that he already has the 51 Republican votes needed to confirm the conservative nominee. This Thursday, the Republican-lead Senate Judiciary Committee will vote on – and almost certainly approve – Barrett’s nomination, after which McConnell is expected to file a cloture motion on Friday, cutting off any additional debates on the nomination.

Reports indicate that if McConnell does indeed file a cloture motion Friday, the vote to confirm will most likely take place on Sunday – a day the Senate rarely meets – opening up Monday as the earliest that the Senate could hold the final confirmation vote for Barrett.

And, given the GOP’s rush to replace Ginsberg’s slot as soon as possible – the confirmation process for Barrett will have only taken a mere 30 days – it’s a given that McConnell will want to hold the final vote sooner rather than later, especially if he does indeed have all the votes he needs. What that being the case, the vote will almost certainly take place on Monday, or Tuesday at the latest.

Senate Democrats have admitted that they have no procedural recourse in terms of putting a halt to Barrett’s confirmation, given the current Republican majority. Dems have criticized the GOP for attempting to install Barrett to the court so close to a presidential election despite previously blocking President Barack Obama’s pick a full nine months before the 2016 election, claiming at the time it was “too close.”

Barrett, 48, is currently a judge on the 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals and a Notre Dame Law School professor. She recently underwent three days of hearings where she was questioned on a variety of topics by both Democrats and Republicans and displayed great knowledge of law history, but was criticized for dodging some questions on social issues such as abortion and the Affordable Care Act.