U.S. Senators To Begin Vetting Process Of Supreme Court Nominee Amy Coney Barrett
WASHINGTON, D.C. (KDKA) -- He's made his pick and he's made it clear. President Trump wants to see Amy Coney Barrett confirmed to the Supreme Court before the upcoming November election.
United States Senators will begin learning about the nominee at the U.S. Capitol on Monday.
According to the White House Chief of Staff, the Trump administration plans to make their case to Senators today -- and Amy Coney Barrett will appear on Capitol Hill tomorrow to meet with several people.
Among those that Barrett will meet with includes Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell.
In two weeks, on October 12th, the confirmation hearing is set to begin in the Senate Judiciary Committee.
Following Coney Barrett's nomination, U.S. Senator Pat Toomey (R) said the following:
"I am pleased that President Trump has nominated Judge Amy Coney Barrett to sit on the U.S. Supreme Court.
Given Judge Barrett's intellect, strong legal credentials, and impeccable character, I was proud to support her confirmation to the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals in 2017. These same attributes will serve her well on the nation's highest court. As a working mother with young children, Judge Barrett would also bring to the Supreme Court a background that will add to its diversity.
Importantly, Judge Barrett has shown an unfailing commitment to the proper role of a judge – which is to apply the law, including the U.S. Constitution, as written, and not to decide cases based on a preferred policy or outcome. I look forward to reviewing Judge Barrett's record further in the coming weeks and speaking with her soon as I consider her nomination."
Senator Bob Casey (D) responded as well, but his response was not in support of Coney Barrett, releasing a statement saying the following:
"It's been only a week since we lost Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, yet President Trump and Senator McConnell are rushing to confirm a Supreme Court Justice who will back their lawsuit to destroy the Affordable Care Act, kicking 23 million people off their health insurance, ending protections for 135 million people with pre-existing conditions and raising costs for millions more, in the middle of a pandemic. Voters across the country are already casting their ballots in this presidential election, and the right thing to do for our country is to allow the winner to nominate a successor to Justice Ginsburg.
Since President Trump has pledged to only nominate candidates from a list approved by two far-right organizations, the Federalist Society and the Heritage Foundation, it's unsurprising that he has nominated an individual with an extreme judicial philosophy. If confirmed, Judge Amy Coney Barrett will almost certainly vote to overturn the Affordable Care Act (ACA), which will adversely impact working families, children, and seniors. I cannot support a Supreme Court nominee who would rip health care away from tens of millions, undermine the rights of workers, and do the bidding of large corporations.
Instead of focusing on tackling the virus and helping millions get back to work, Donald Trump is trying to rush an appointment onto the Supreme Court to ensure that the nominee is the deciding vote to take away protections for 5.5 million Pennsylvanians with pre-existing conditions. President Trump is more concerned with his own election than protecting Americans from the deadly virus or creating millions of good-paying jobs for the almost 750,000 out of work in our Commonwealth."
It is expected the Senate will question the nominee and have a closed door session with outside witnesses.
A final committee vote could happen on October 22nd, with hopes to clear the committee by October 26th.
This sets up a vote on the Senate floor just days before the election, setting up one of the quickest confirmations in modern history.
This would be the third judge that President Trump is able to put on the bench during his time in office.
To date, during a presidential election year, no Supreme Court nominee has been confirmed after July.