The U.S. Senate voted along party lines to confirm the nomination of Amy Coney Barrett to the Supreme Court on Monday.
The 52-48 vote was the first Supreme Court confirmation in modern times with no support from the minority party, and the closest in terms of proximity to an upcoming presidential election, which is eight days away.
“Voting to confirm this nominee should make every single senator proud,” said Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, who four years ago had blocked hearings for Merrick Garland, who had been nominated by Barack Obama after the death of conservative jurist Antonin Scalia, citing the upcoming presidential election.
That nomination was made on March 16, 2016, after Scalia’s passing on Feb. 13, 2016.
Barrett was nominated on Sept. 26 to fill the seat of Ruth Bader Ginsburg, who passed away on Sept. 18.
“After declaring the Senate shouldn’t confirm a new justice during an election year in 2016, Senate Republicans have abandoned their own rule so they can ram through their own nominee in hopes she will strike down the Affordable Care Act,” said U.S. Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va., who voted against the Barrett nomination.
Pending litigation regarding the ACA is just among the issues, against the backdrop of early votes being cast in record numbers, making it look more and more each day that President Trump will not only not be re-elected to a second term, but will lose in something resembling a mini-landslide to Democratic nominee Joe Biden.
Biden’s lead over Trump is at 7.8 points in the Real Clear Politics national average, and the FiveThirtyEight.com forecast has the race at Biden +9.2.
“I strain to recall ever before witnessing such disdain for precedent, such disrespect for the legacy of an American giant, such disregard for the will of the voters,” Kaine said.
Story by Chris Graham
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